Horton Hears a Who: Silence and Song
by PotterPhantomKitten
Summary: Nearly a year has past after the events of the movie, and Jojo will soon turn 18. Jojo creates an invention that could send a Who to Horton's world, and vise-versa. But when Jojo is kidnapped for unknown reasons, can Horton and the Whos save him in time?
1. April Fool

A/N: Hello, everybody

**A/N: Hello, everybody! Well, I just saw Horton Hears a Who yesterday, and like just about everyone else, I think JOJO ROCKS! Oh, and it never said how old Jojo was in the movie, but I say he was about 16, okay? Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and if anyone seems OOC, don't be afraid to tell me, since I'm kind of new in the fandom, but a fan all the same! GO JOJO! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Horton Hears a Who, or (sadly) Jojo. I wish I owned a Jojo plushie, but sadly, I can't find one. **

--

In the town of Whoville, it seemed to be an average ordinary day at first glance. However, it wasn't exactly ordinary, because it wasn't just any day. It was the first of April, and everyone knows what _that_ means…

"April Fool!" shouted an 11-year-old Who girl, laughing as she watched a black-haired Who boy spring up from his bed. "April Fool, Jojo!"

The black-haired Who groaned as he pulled out a large rubber spider from his covers. The 17-year-old son of Mayor Ned McDodd, Jojo McDodd was the oldest of 97 kids. And, unfortunately for him, the only boy.

"Caitlyn," Jojo muttered with a somewhat sharp edge in his voice, "do you have to play an April Fool's Day trick on me as soon as I get up?"

Caitlyn shrugged. "No, I just felt like it!" Before Jojo could say anything in response, his sister tore out of the room, running around the house shouting "April Fool, everyone!"

Jojo managed a half-smile as he got out of bed. "April Fool's Day, how could I have forgotten?" he said to himself. He didn't really mind April Fool's Day that much…it was just hard with 96 sisters running around playing pranks on everybody. It was all in fun though.

April 1st also meant something else to Whoville: the time to prepare for the Whoville Day celebration, a celebration they had every year in the middle of May. May 16th, to be precise.

Jojo smiled to himself as he walked down the long hallway, staring at the many pictures aligning the walls. The pictures were of Jojo's ancestors, or "the greats" as his dad called them. Being the oldest, Jojo was naturally next in line to be the mayor of Whoville. But nearly a year ago, when an elephant named Horton had saved the Whos from being destroyed, Jojo's father had learned of his son's true passion: music and inventing.

And speaking of Horton…

Jojo followed the hallway until he reached a small balcony overlooking Whoville. His dad, the Mayor, was there, talking to what seemed to be a drainage pipe. This, however, was the only way Horton could communicate with Whoville, as the Whos really lived on a speck of dust. Jojo hid behind the curve of the entryway, so he could hear what they were saying without being noticed.

"Happy April Fool's Day, Horton!" the Mayor of Whoville exclaimed.

"Happy April Fool's Day to you too, Mayor!" the voice of Horton the elephant replied.

"Play any good pranks on anyone yet?" Ned McDodd asked with a grin, eager to hear what his friend from the Jungle of Nool would have to say.

A laugh could be heard from the pipe. "Morton and I stuck pink flower petals onto Vlad the vulture right before he woke up. You should of seen the look on his face when he found out!"

The Mayor and Jojo both laughed, though Jojo's was softer, not as loud. He wasn't ready to be noticed, not yet.

"Hey Horton," the Mayor began, "you know the Whoville Day celebration starts in about a month and a half."

When Horton replied, Jojo could almost hear the wistful smile in his voice. "I know, I can't believe it's coming up already." The elephants voice suddenly took on a softer tone. "I wish I could be there."

"I wish you could be here too, Horton," the Mayor replied with a sigh. "You would love Whobille Day!"

Jojo's eyes suddenly lightened up as his mind was sent into a whirl. A cyclone of thought was spinning around in his head as he let the idea come. In fact, he had been working on a recent invention for this exact purpose! It wasn't finished yet, of course… The Who broke off from his thoughts as he once again began to listen.

"It must be pretty busy in Whoville then." Horton continued. Jojo realized he was still talking about the celebration.

"Yeah," the Mayor agreed, "and for us, it's especially busy even the day after; we have a birthday to celebrate."

"Whose?" Horton asked, curious.

"Jojo's," the Mayor answered with happiness evident in his voice.

Jojo smiled. His birthday was May 17th, the day right after the annual Whoville Day celebration. It was always busy at the Mayor's house of course, but on birthdays it got really wild at the McDodd residence.

"That's great!" Horton exclaimed. "How old is he turning?"

"18," the Mayor replied, a bright smile on his face, "he's sure growing up fast. And you'll never guess what I got him. He'll love it, I'm sure he will"

Jojo listened intently now. He wondered if his dad might tell Horton what the present was, thereby telling his son, even though he didn't know it. Suddenly…

"ACHOO!"

Jojo's sneeze attracted his father's attention to the door. The Mayor peeked around the corner, and there was Jojo with a sheepish expression on his face.

"Darn," Jojo muttered.

The Mayor shook his head. "No spying on other people's conversations, Jojo," he said. "You can wait another month and a half, can't you?" He smiled, ruffling his son's hair. "You're almost grown up, Jojo. And trust me, you can do whatever you want to. I couldn't ask for a better son." With a smile toward Jojo and a short good-bye to Horton, the Mayor left.

As soon as he left, Jojo quickly ran though the house and out the doorway, heading toward the abandoned observatory on the hill – his "home-away-from-home." No one ever used it except Jojo, and that was where he worked on his inventions and music.

When he arrived at the observatory, he gazed around at the marvelous creations with a shiver of excitement. The largest invention in the place was actually a giant musical instrument, made up of large bells, drums, and many other assorted objects. But there were many other inventions around the observatory's interior.

Jojo had an unusual ability…a talent, a blessing, a gift. He was gifted with the power to hear musical rhythms in anything. Any voice, any sound; Jojo could hear a varied musical symphony in each and every one. He never needed written music whenever he sang or played; the sounds just came to the teenage Who as if they were a part of him.

As Jojo began to work on his invention-in-progress, he hummed and sang along with the musical patterns that he heard all around him.

--

**A/N: Well, there's the first chapter! Once again, I apologize if anyone seems OOC. Hope you liked it!**


	2. The Invention

A/N: Okay people, I apologize for taking about a week to update, I've just been busy, you know

**A/N: Okay people, I apologize for taking about a week to update, I've just been busy, you know? I'll try to update faster though. Anywho…27 REVIEWS?! I have to say I am touched, as I was NEVER expecting this many reviews for ONE chapter! 3 maybe, 7 perhaps, maybe even 9, but 27? And 8 favorites and 16 alerts, that's the most I've ever gotten, and I thank you all for it! Enough with my rambling, on with the fic! **

--

More than a month had passed since April Fool's Day, and the annual celebration (and Jojo's birthday) were only getting closer. It was the afternoon of May 9, a Friday, and everyone in Whoville was extremely busy. Not all that surprisingly, that included Jojo.

For these past weeks, the Who had been spending more than the usual amount of time at the old observatory, working busily on his latest invention: the Transmoporter. It would be able to transport a Who to Horton's world and back, and someone from the Jungle of Nool could also be transported to Whoville. On the surface, it just looked like a fairly small metal cube-shaped object with several knobs, switches, and buttons on it. However, it was designed to become much more complex once it was activated.

That wasn't the only thing he had been working on, however. A large stack of paper was piled next to the desk that Jojo sat in as he quickly scribbled down the last letters on the page. Gathering them all up together into one neat little package, he smiled to himself as he placed the notes together in a thick binder. These notes were extremely important to him – perhaps even more important than the Transmorporter.

Suddenly, a knock was heard on the door of the observatory, snapping Jojo out of his thoughts.

"Jojo? Jojo, are you in there?" Ned McDodd's voice called through the door. The had just gotten back from a council meeting regarding the upcoming celebration. For months they had been thinking about calling it a kind of "second Who Centennial," as the first one had only went on for a few minutes since their world was almost destroyed. They had finally reached a conclusion that it would be a Who Centennial part 2/Whoville Day, to make up for the lost time from last year.

"Uh…yeah, Dad!" Jojo called, hurriedly gathering up his binder and his invention.

Just as Mr. McDodd was about to open the door to the observatory, Jojo opened the door from the inside, zipping by his dad so fast that he didn't even notice at first.

"Woah, slow down, Jojo!" the Mayor called after his son. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"To see Dr. Larue!" Jojo called back as he ran off with a quick wave. "I'll tell you later!"

The Mayor waved back, watching his son run off into the distance. Jojo had been spending a lot more time in the observatory lately, and now he was going to see Dr Larue. He had a feeling that Jojo had something big that he was working on…but what was it?

--

At long last, Jojo reached Who University, the place where Dr. Larue worked. Dr. Larue was a well-known scientist, though she could be a bit eccentric at times.

"Dr. Larue?" Jojo said as he peeked into one of the rooms of Who University. Sure enough, Dr. Larue was there, typing on a computer so quickly her hands flew over the keyboard. Jojo smiled, immersing himself in the symphonic rhythm of the computer keys. He noticed that Dr. Larue was typing up a lengthy paper entitled _Physics of Whostronomy._

Dr. Larue's rapid typing came to a halt as she spun around to look at the visitor. "Hello, Jojo."

"Um…" Jojo faltered. Gently placing his binder down on the table, he held his invention at arms length. "The Transmoporter's finished."

Dr. Larue snatched the invention out of the teenager's hands before he could even blink.

"So this is the invention you've been working on?" she asked excitedly, carefully turning it over in her hands, examining every detail of it. "How exactly does it work?"

Jojo smiled, taking back his invention and setting it down on a bright blue table. "Well, first you press down this switch right here," he explained, pointing at a two-inch long blue switch on the contraption's left side with a small screen above it. "That allows you to select between the two destinations; Whoville and the Jungle of Nool."

Dr. Larue nodded enthusiastically, taking in every word the young genius was saying. "What next?"

"Then you adjust the proper setting on this dial," Jojo went on. "The dial is for setting the proper teleportation distance that will travel to your destination. It even causes a circle to light up on the ground, so you can know that everyone who wants to come from one world to the next is in the circle."

Dr. Larue's eyes lit up at this. "So you're saying," she began, "that more than one person can be transported at the same time?"

Exactly," the teenage Who grinned. His grin suddenly turned into a slight grimace. "That doesn't mean I'll be bringing my 96 sisters along!"

Dr. Larue laughed, understanding perfectly what Jojo meant. Nearly 100 Whos running around in the Jungle of Nool would be chaos.

She then pointed to what looked like a button shaped somewhat like a corkscrew. This button had a screen over it too, although this one was much larger and practically took up one whole side of the invention. "What about this button?"

"That," Jojo said, "is a communicator. You press the button, and it connects you with a screen that I installed inside the observatory. There's a button right below the screen that turns it on."

"So even those of us who stay here would get to see what the Jungle of Nool is like?" Dr. Larue asked.

Jojo nodded proudly. "And it has a speaker system too, so we can talk to each other. Oh, and the screen on the Trasmoporter gets bigger when it's activated."

"That's astounding!" Dr. Larue exclaimed. "When are you planning on trying it out?"

"First thing tomorrow morning," Jojo replied.

"Does your father know?"

"Not yet," Jojo admitted, "but I'll tell him."

Dr. Larue smiled as Jojo picked up his invention and turned to leave. "I'll be there to see your invention in action tomorrow!" Her gaze suddenly turned toward the table where the young Who's binder still lay.

"Jojo," she called, "you almost forgot your binder."

He turned back to Dr. Larue, a strangely serious expression on his face. "Hold on to that for me Dr. Larue. It's very important."

Dr. Larue gasped, glancing from Jojo to the binder. "You mean…?"

The young Who nodded. "I've been working on it for a long time."

Dr. Larue nodded in understanding. Jojo had somewhat explained to her what he had been working on, but he didn't give her the full details. She knew, however, that this was extremely important to him – and dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands.

"If…" Jojo started as he began to leave the room, his face filled with concern. "If…anything happens…"

"I know," Dr. Larue answered before Jojo could finish. "Keep the information safe, and only show it to your parents."

Jojo only gave a slow nod, picking up the Transmoporter. "See you tomorrow, Dr. Larue!"

Dr. Larue gave a small wave as the young inventor left. Gazing out a nearby window, she could see the old observatory silhouetted against the darkening sky. She couldn't help shuddering as she looked at it.

"It belongs to him now," she said to herself, attempting to ease her thoughts. She couldn't help thinking about the observatory before Jojo had come along…and the reason it had been abandoned in the first place. She didn't like to think about it.

No Who ever did.

--

**A/N: Whew, I finally got that up! Hope you enjoyed it! Read and review!**


	3. A Dangerous Situation

A/N: Okay, I know I said I'd try to update faster, but this week was just really busy for me

**A/N: Okay, I know I said I'd try to update faster, but this week was just really busy for me. I will update when I can though, because this is my most popular story ever! Enough with my blabbering, because I know you all want to read the next chapter (possibly finding out more of the observatory's abandonment and the notes). On with the fic! **

**--**

Saturday. Always an exciting day for any Who, especially the younger ones. However, this particular Saturday held a feeling of excitement in the air, especially for a certain inventor.

Jojo hadn't told anyone besides Dr. Larue about his invention the night before. He had decided to save the surprise until morning, and he knew exactly when to reveal it.

As the entire McDodd family was seated around the breakfast table, the Mayor began to start his 12-second talks with each of his children. Normally, Jojo didn't mind being the last, but today he was excited for his turn to come. Unfortunately for Jojo, he'd have to sit through about 1,152 seconds of his sisters saying they needed new WhoPhones or one took the other's hairbrush. It was business as usual.

At last, after what seemed like an eternity, it was Jojo's turn. His dad smiled at him.

"So, how are you doing today, J-man?"

Ignoring the fact that his dad was trying (and failing) to be "cool," Jojo smiled. "I just finished an invention that will allow us to go to the Jungle of Nool!"

The moment Jojo said that, it almost seemed as if time had stopped. All 96 of Jojo's sisters, plus his mom, turned around and stared at Jojo in amazement, and the Mayor was so shocked and speechless that he didn't even notice when the timer ran out.

"Are…are you serious, Jojo?" the Mayor asked, still in shock.

Jojo nodded. "It's in the old observatory."

"Then what are we waiting for?" one of Jojo's sisters asked.

Before the Mayor could say anything, all 96 of his daughters tore out of room like a Who-rocket.

After the shock of being practically run over, Jojo and his parents headed toward the observatory.

--

It took quite a long time for Jojo to actually get his whole family up to the observatory, since all 96 of his sisters had to go one-by-one for the most part. And to top it all of, the Mayor had invited several citizens of Whovillle. Of course, someone went around telling everyone else, so it seemed everyone in Whoville was crowded in the observatory.

And Jojo didn't enjoy that one bit.

"Dad," Jojo said with a roll of his eyes. "Did you have to invite everyone?"

"I didn't invite everyone," his dad began slowly, "I just…told a few…"

"You tell a few and then the word gets out," Jojo finished for him.

Every Who seemed to be anxious and excited, but then again, who wouldn't be? Some of the Whos knew what was going on, but the rest were just tossing around rumors of what they had heard from other Whos. Even the Chairman and the City Council had come!

Jojo remembered what Dr. Larue had said the night before and looked in the crowd. He found her near the front and she gave Jojo a small but excited wave.

Finally, when it seemed like Jojo's ears would explode from all the noise, his dad came to the rescue and began to speak, quieting everyone down.

"I have something to tell you," the Mayor began. "The reason that we are all here is because my son Jojo has invented something that could change our lives forever!"

The Mayor then moved into the crowd so all eyes were on the young inventor. Jojo looked over at his dad, who just gave him a goofy smile and a thumbs-up.

With a small smile, Jojo went over to one side of the observatory where a giant screen could be seen. Underneath it was a metal cube-shaped object. Jojo held it up so every Who could see it.

"This," he began, "is a new invention I call the Transmoporter."

There was a chorus of "oohs" and "ahhs" as he announced the invention's name.

"What does it do?" one of Jojo's sisters called out from the crowd.

"It can allow any Who – even more than one – to be transported to the Jungle of Nool," Jojo answered, "and vise-versa."

"Does that mean Horton could come here?" his dad asked with excitement.

Jojo grinned and nodded. "Yup."

There was a murmur of excitement aroused among the Whos, as every one was excited about the possibility of going to Horton's world…and meeting Horton, of course.

"What's the giant screen there for?" the Chairman asked.

"It connects to a screen on the Transmoporter that gets bigger when it's activated," Jojo explained. "The screens have speakers too, so we'll be able to communicate from the Jungle of Nool."

"This is genius!" the Chairman cried out. Generally, this started up a huge amount of conversation among the Whos, who were now fully unable to contain their excitement.

Finally, amidst all the noise, Jojo heard one Who call out "Can you show us?"

Everyone instantly stopped talking and looked expectantly at the young inventor.

Jojo nodded, then turned to his dad. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah, Jojo?"

"Since you're such good friends with Horton…" Jojo took a deep breath, "do you want to come?"

"Of course I would!" the Mayor said excitedly, practically hopping from anticipation.

Everyone started up a clamor again until the Chairman banged a loud Who-mallet, which got all of them to be quiet.

Jojo placed the Transmoporter down and started working on the settings as his dad stood beside him. He pressed down on the blue switch until the small display screen above it said "Jungle of Nool" as the destination, all the while explaining exactly what the button did. The Mayor smiled proudly at his son.

"Then you adjust the right teleportation distance on this dial," Jojo explained, turning the green dial until a bright white circular outline enclosed the floor space where him and his dad stood.

"This corkscrew-shaped button," Jojo continued, pointing at the button underneath the communicator screen, "is what turns the communicator screens on and off." He pressed the button, and not only did the screen in the observatory turn on, but the screen on the Transmoporter turned on and grew larger.

There were exclamations of "Wow!" and "Awesome!" from a few of the younger Whos, but everyone else was carefully paying attention.

"Okay," Jojo said as he hovered his finger over a big red button. "Here goes!"

He pressed the button and suddenly the Transmoporter sprang to life. A large, bronze-colored tube rose out of the contraption and hovered over the inventor and his dad. All of a sudden, a brilliant, domes-shaped white light enclosed the area lit up by the circle on the ground.

A loud, whirring noise was heard as the observatory began to fade from the view of Jojo and the Mayor. The last thing Jojo heard was his mom shouting "Be careful!"

--

In the Jungle of Nool, Horton the elephant was relaxing by the pool with his friend, a small blue mouse named Morton.

"Hey, Morton!" Horton exclaimed, "You really should try talking to the citizens of Whoville once in while! You could learn a lot from them!"

Morton sighed as he scampered up a tree to Horton's eye level. "Horton, look I know you were completely right about life being on that speck, but you have to spend at least sometime with us here!" He jumped on top of Horton's trunk and got close to his friend's eyes. "Look, I'm here! The people on that speck may be our friends, but you can actually see what I look like! You'll never actually _see_ those Who friends of yours, Horton!"

Seeing his friend's somewhat downcast face, Morton tried to make his friend feel better. "Hey, look, I didn't mean it that way Horton!" He noticed Horton's expression. "Aw, c'mon, don't give me the face! All I'm saying is that it's not like they're going to come flying out of the sky!"

Horton let out a low sigh. "Morton – " but before he could say anything more, a noise drew his and Morton's attention to the midmorning sky. A bright, white shining light, seemingly coming from the direction of Mt. Nool, was speeding toward them.

"What in Nool is _that?_" Morton gasped in astonishment.

"I don't know," Horton admitted, curious to know what the strange light was. Suddenly, as the light got closer, Horton could hear voices…oddly familiar voices…

"_Hold on tight, Dad!" _

"_Are you sure this thing is safe, Jojo?"_

Horton's eyes grew wide. He knew those voices, and they were coming from the light! Could this mean…?

When the light reached a distance of a few feet from where Horton was, it hovered, then faded as suddenly as it had appeared. In it's place were two beings unlike anything ever seen in the Jungle of Nool; they had light brown fur and long arms with four fingers. The black-haired one was quite shorter than the other and seemed to hold a strange contraption shaped like a cube. Then the taller one turned to him.

"Are you all right Jojo?"

Horton practically fell into the pool from shock. That must be…

"MAYOR!"

Now it was the Mayor and Jojo's turn to nearly fall over in shock as the two Whos stared at the elephant in front of them.

"Horton?!" the Mayor shouted in surprise.

Horton smiled giddily at the two Whos in front of him as he struck a heroic pose. "The one and only!"

The Mayor had a huge grin on his face as Horton and him began to talk at the same time. Both of them were absolutely thrilled to finally meet face-to-face.

"Well," Morton said almost to himself. "I guess they really _did_ come flying out of the sky."

Horton turned around at his friend's comment, and smiled. "Morton, this is the Mayor, and his son, Jojo."

Morton gave a small wave to both of them. "Uh…hi, uh…Mayor and Jojo."

The Mayor waved back. "Hey there Mortonino!"

Jojo smacked his forehead. _"Dad!"_

The Mayor turned around and looked back at his son. "What? You're not cool with my little nickname, J-dog?"

"Dad!" Jojo groaned. "Please, not here!"

"Okay, okay!"

The group had a good laugh at that. Horton then turned to the Whos. "How exactly did you guys get here?"

"With the Transmoporter," the Mayor replied. 'Oh, wait! We need to turn the screen on so you can meet everyone!"

"You can communicate with everyone else?"

"Yup!" Jojo said as he went over and pressed the corkscrew switch on his invention. The screen grew larger once again and turned on to reveal an entire crowd of Whos.

"Wow!" Horton said as he stared at the screen. "Hello, everyone!"

"Hello Horton!" everyone replied.

"Are Jojo and my husband okay?" Horton saw the Who that was speaking and recognized the voice as Sally.

"We're right here!" The Mayor grinned, bringing him and Jojo into full view of the screen, waving as his wife sighed with relief.

All the Whos then turned to Horton and began to bombard him with questions.

"What's the Jungle of Nool like?"

"Is it warm there?"

"How are things going for you?"

As Horton began to eagerly answer the Who's questions, Jojo stayed back, suddenly feeling uneasy. The musical patterns that he heard in this jungle had, only moments before, felt soothing. But now…now there was a feeling of dread; the pattern seemed ominous. And yet, Jojo was the only one who seemed to feel it vibrating through his soul.

Suddenly, two very large shadows swooped down, startling the group. One of the strange giant shadows attacked Horton and the Mayor, pinning them to the ground as the Transmoporter fell a few feet away. It's claws dug into the two prisoners. So they were unable to move.

The other figure, which Horton and the Mayor could see was a giant bird larger than any seen in Nool, turned toward the contraption, but the other one snarled.

"Leave it there, Bonewing. That's not what we came here for, it's useless to us."

"_Bonewing?"_ the Mayor gasped, shaking as a chill ran down his spine. "It can't be…"

The giant bird finally released Horton and the Mayor, hovering into the air. Horton, Morton, the Mayor, and everyone in Whoville gasped as they looked and saw that the birds were carrying some sort of metal cage.

And when they saw the bound figure in that cage, as the birds cried "We've got him now," everyone, in a state of fear, anxiety, and panic, cried out one single word.

"JOJO!"

**A/N: Well, finally I finished chapter 3! Dun dun DUNN!! I'll try to update again soon! Remember to review!**


	4. The Who's Story

A/N: Okay, I know that last chapter left you at SUCH a cliffhanger, but this chapter has a lot going on

**A/N: Okay, I know that last chapter left you at SUCH a cliffhanger, but this chapter has a lot going on! We meet a few old friends and a new threat too…well, new to us anyway! Here we go! (59 reviews! WHOO!) **

**--**

The two birds that held Jojo captive were only a short distance away, and the Mayor wasn't going to let them get away with kidnapping his son.

"Mayor! Climb on my back!" Horton cried.

Almost before Horton had finished his sentence, the Mayor was already up there, determined to rescue his only son. With a charge, Horton raced toward the birds as fast as he could. "All right, birdbrains!" Horton cried, "You asked for it!"

The giant birds were flying relatively fast, but Horton was faster. Within moments they had caught up.

"Hold on, Jojo!" Ned cried. Clambering onto Horton's trunk, which was raised up toward the sky, he reached out his hand to grab onto the cage.

"OW!"

The pained cry had not only come from the Mayor, but Jojo as well. Jojo's, however, seemed to be stronger somehow.

The Mayor quickly pulled his hand back, both from shock and from the pain. Had him touching the cage hurt Jojo somehow?

Flying beyond the reach of Horton and the Mayor, the bird known as Bonewing laughed.

"Sorry," he said, although they could tell by the malevolent laugh in his voice that he wasn't sorry at all. "We forgot to tell you – that cage is electrified! Isn't that right, Shredclaw?"

"_Shredclaw?"_ Ned cried out, just as he had done with Bonewing's name.

Shredclaw laughed cruelly at leered at the Mayor. "That's right! Long time no see!"

"Huh?" Horton asked in surprise. How could the Mayor know these birds if he had never left Whoville?

Shredclaw ignored Horton and narrowed his beady eyes at the Mayor again. "Like my friend here was saying, the cage is electrified. Anyone who touches it from the outside gets hurt, and the impact is tripled for anyone who might be inside." He gestured his beak toward the cage that held Jojo.

The Mayor shook his head in shock and disbelief. He had tried to save Jojo and ended up hurting him!

The vultures grinned at the Mayor's shocked face as they flew even higher. "Well," Bonewing said, "I think we ought to get going with our little friend!" Laughing maniacally, the two vultures flew off much faster than they had before. Within moments they were just two faint shadows in the distance.

"JOJO!" the Mayor and Horton cried out just as Morton caught up to them.

"Hey Horton, did you - "

"No Morton," Horton sighed before the mouse could finish. "They got away."

"And they took my son with them!" Ned cried out in a panic.

They hurried back to the Transmoporter, where every Who was waiting anxiously. The Mayor took one look at them and couldn't bear it any longer.

"They took Jojo," he whispered before he fell to the ground in despair. Horton could see that he was crying.

Every Who gasped as they heard that one terrible sentence. It was clear that everyone was distraught - especially the McDodd family.

"What are we going to do Ned?" Sally cried to her husband, choking back a sob. "Jojo's being taken somewhere and there's no telling what those birds will do to him!"

"We'll think of something." Sally could see that her husband was trying to hold back the tears as well.

Horton tried to think of something to say to make the Whos feel better, but he was just as upset as they were. He hadn't been able to rescue Jojo, and felt that he had failed somehow.

"Horton!" a familiar voice shouted, jarring the elephant out of his thoughts. None other than Kangaroo hopped out the undergrowth with her son, Rudy, following close behind. Ever since the "dust speck incident," Horton and Kangaroo had become friends…although she could still be pretty stern.

"What in Nool is going on here?" Kangaroo demanded. I saw this bright light flying from Mt. Nool to around here. "Did you see anything?"

"And what were those two vultures doing?" Rudy asked. Rudy had finally gained some independence since last year, and he no longer stayed in his mother's pouch all the time.

Kangaroo stopped and stared at Horton, the Mayor, and the screen of the Transmoporter. "Who…what…?"

"This is the Mayor of Whoville," Horton explained softly, as the Who was already too distressed to introduce himself.

Before anyone could say any more, the Mayor suddenly shot up and began adjusting the dials and switches on his son's invention.

"Wait a minute, what is going on here?" Kangaroo demanded as a bright circle surrounded the ground where the group stood. "What in Nool is this circle supposed to be?"

Without a word, the Mayor pressed down on the big red button. The strange tube popped out of the Transmoporter and hung suspended above the group. The dome-shaped light poured out of the tube and enclosed the circle.

Horton, Morton, Kangaroo, and Rudy all jumped as a loud whirring noise rang in their ears. They all felt the strange sensation that they were being lifted into the air as the Jungle of Nool disappeared from view.

"Okay, what's going on? What's up with this?" Morton asked as he scampered onto Horton.

Rudy gave his mother a somewhat nervous glance. "Mom? What's happening?"

"I don't know," Kangaroo admitted to her son as the whirring noise grew louder, "but whoever is doing it is going to get it!"

Normally, Horton would have cracked a joke about Kangaroo saying _"Who_ever," but the elephant was too worried about his little Who friend. "What if something terrible happens to Jojo?" he thought.

Finally, the strange light faded, and the group found themselves in a strange room with all kinds of metal contraptions…and a whole crowd of Whos.

"What…Where are we?" Kangaroo demanded to the Mayor.

"Looks like we're in Whoville," Horton said.

"WHAT?!" Kangaroo shouted, grabbing Ned forcefully by the neck. Since her and the Mayor were about the same height, it affected the Mayor quite a bit. "What have you done?"

"Mom!" Rudy pleaded, trying to make her stop, "Don't!"

"Quiet Rudy," Kangaroo said in a softer tone, "the adults are talking." Her expression suddenly turned stern again as she glared at the Mayor. "You brought us into this…this speck world of yours!"

Horton pulled Kangaroo away from the Mayor. "The Mayor's very upset right now, Kangaroo," he said softly. "His son, Jojo, was just kidnapped."

Kangaroo's expression suddenly softened as Horton's words sunk in. If her son had been kidnapped, she'd feel exactly how Ned felt. She gave the Mayor an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."

Ned only nodded glumly.

Just then, Sally ran over to him, embracing her husband in a tight hug as tears rolled down her face. "How could this happen to Jojo?!" she sobbed. "If only I knew who those birds were, I'd make them pay for this!"

"Bonewing and Shredclaw," the Mayor mumbled so only his wife could hear.

"_Bonewing and Shredclaw?!"_ Sally gasped aloud.

And unfortunately, every Who heard her cry out those names, sending them all into chaos.

"Bonewing and Shredclaw kidnapped Jojo?!"

"It can't be!"

"I was hoping we'd never see a trace of them again!"

"If they're back, then does that mean _he_ is too?"

Horton suddenly spoke up, "Wait a minute! How could you have known them if you've never been out of Whoville?"

Every single Who in the observatory turned to Horton, even the younger Whos who didn't know what the adults were talking about.

The Chairman looked around, hoping someone would explain, but everyone looked too upset about Jojo to say anything. He took a deep breath.

"Well Horton, it's a long story and an upsetting one," the Chairman began. "You remember how we were going to celebrate the Who Centennial last year, I presume?"

Horton nodded.

"We try to tell ourselves that there have been 100 years of Whoville happiness, because there are some things that we Whos would like to forget. But with Jojo kidnapped…" he trailed off, looking at the McDodd family meaningfully, "we can't ignore what happened 20 years ago anymore."

This statement caused the Noolans and the younger Whos to stare at the Chairman in confusion. As far as the younger ones knew, nothing in Whoville had ever gone wrong before the "speck incident." What was it the Chairman was talking about?

"What happened?" Horton asked. He could see his friends from Nool were just as curious as he was.

"Malkavar happened."

"Who's Malkavar?" Rudy asked.

"Whosaron Malkavar," the Chairman sighed, "was a Who that no one really liked to be around. He was bad-tempered, some even would say hostile. He lived alone for the most part, not even coming to council meetings that often. It was clear that he wasn't a very social Who, but some said it was just because he was jealous of the Mayor."

"Well, what makes this Malkavar so important?" Kangaroo questioned. "What does he have to do with this?"

"20 years ago, about 2 years before Jojo was born," the Chairman continued, "was when it all started to go wrong. We didn't see much of Malkavar for awhile, but we found out that he had been secretly conducting experiments and creating inventions…right here in this observatory."

All 96 of the McDodd daughters gasped. This Malkavar…had once worked in the observatory?

"We weren't exactly sure what kind of experiments and inventions he worked on," the Chairman went on with a somewhat nervous air in his voice, "but then something terrible happened. One night, we all heard this terrible screeching noise. Malkavar's two vulture assistants, Bonewing and Shredclaw, were tearing through Whoville, destroying everything that got in their way."

"Why did they do that?" Horton asked in disbelief. Whoever Malkavar was, he clearly had bad intentions.

"We never really figured that out," Dr. Larue answered, speaking up for the first time. "Although we did hear those two vultures say they were searching for something for Malkavar. We aren't exactly sure what they meant, but then the two let out a terrible screech, louder than the first, that prevented us from investigating any more." Though Dr. Larue had been only 10 at the time, she remembered what happened.

Dr. Larue took a shuddering breath, then continued. "By the next morning, Whoville was in chaos. Many of the buildings were damaged, and the Who Laboratories were completely destroyed. The worst of it is, several Whos died because of it."

Everyone was stunned at this. Malkavar had caused Whos to die?

"Malkavar claimed that once he was willing to kill in order to find what he was looking for, and when he did, all Whos would be at his mercy. Everyone agreed that he should be kicked out of Whoville," Dr. Larue went on, "but on the day of his trial, Malkavar, Bonewing, and Shredclaw had all disappeared, and every single item had vanished from the observatory."

"That's strange," Morton muttered to himself.

"All that was left in the observatory," Dr. Larue concluded, " was a small scrap of paper that read _"Someday you shall all pay for this. Once I find what I am searching for…you will regret this."_

"Scary," Horton said softly.

"Right after he left," the Chairman added as a final note, "We destroyed the direct path to the observatory, and it was abandoned ever since until…"

"Jojo," the Mayor said so softly it was barely a whisper.

The Chairman nodded.

"So then that means Malkavar must've been the one who planned this?" Horton asked. "But…why? I mean, why Jojo?"

"I wish we all knew the answer to that Horton," Sally said quietly. "I'm so worried about Jojo."

"Which is why we're going to rescue him!" Horton spoke out.

Everyone, Noolans and Whos, turned to look at Horton.

"If this Malkavar is as bad as you say he is, than we need to rescue Jojo as soon as we can!" Horton announced. "We're going to need to form some sort of rescue party."

"I'm coming Horton!" the Mayor said, now sounding determined. "If my son is in danger I'll do everything I can to help him!"

"I'm coming too!" Sally said, standing beside her husband. "I'll make those creeps pay for kidnapping Jojo!"

"And you'd be nuts if you think you're leaving me behind!" piped up Morton.

Dr. Larue got a sudden, strange look on her face as she placed a black binder in a bag she was carrying. "I'll come too."

"Great idea Dr. Larue!" the Chairman said, "your scientific knowledge will come in handy."

"Mom, can I please go with them?" Rudy asked as he turned to his mother.

"Well…I…" Kangaroo trailed off as she noticed her friends and the Whos looking at her intently. "Alright Rudy, you can go…" Horton saw a smile creep up on her face, "…if I come with you." She saw her son give her a grateful smile.

Once it was established who was going, who would take care of the kids, and the matter of getting everyone in the underground storage area, the rescue party stood in a cluster as the Mayor adjusted the settings and pressed the red button on the Transmoporter.

As the rescue party faded out of the observatory, they were all thinking about one thing – Jojo.

Little did they know that Jojo's problems were only just beginning…for Malkavar had big plans for the young Who.

And Malkavar was determined to complete them even if it cost Jojo his life.

--

**A/N: Whew! Took awhile to write that chapter! Sorry Jojo wasn't in it, but he'll be the main focus of the next chapter, I promise! And now you know about Malkavar, but what does he want with Jojo? Wait and find out! **


	5. Family

A/N: Okay guys, I know I've taken about two weeks to update this thing but I'm making it up to you now

**A/N: Okay guys, I know I've taken about two weeks to update this thing but I'm making it up to you now! I present...dundadun…A CHAPTER WITH JOJO IN IT! Yes, this chapter is mainly about Jojo, but it does have a song in it from Lady and the Tramp 2: Scamp's Adventure called "Always There." (look it up on youtube if you haven't heard the song) Basically in the song, Scamp's part is Jojo singing, Angel's part is the two new Whos we meet in this chapter singing, and Lady and Tramp singing are Jojo's parents singing. Wow, long Author's Note, so on with the story! **

**Disclaimer: I only own the Transmoporter, Malkavar, Bonewing, Shredclaw and any other new characters/inventions that we meet. **

**--**

It had turned late at night in the Jungle of Nool, and the rescue party had so far found no trace of where Jojo might be. The only lead the group had was the direction in which Bonewing and Shredclaw had flown, but they had traveled all day, and still nothing.

"Mr. Mayor, sir? Do you think Jojo is going to be okay?"

Ned turned around and saw Rudy look up at him with worried (and tired) eyes. Rudy had quickly made friends with the Whos, but the Mayor wasn't in much of a mood to talk. "I sure hope so," Ned said simply, staring ahead at the strange mountains that that loomed ahead, on the opposite side of the Jungle from Mt. Nool. His wife gently put an arm around him.

"He'll be okay," Sally said softly, but it was clear that she was completely unsure. _"Oh why did it have to be Malkavar who kidnapped Jojo?"_ she thought desperately.

Kangaroo sent her son a slightly stern look at her son for bringing the matter up. "They're worried enough already, Rudy."

Dr. Larue had a sad, faraway look on her face, and both the Mayor and his wife knew why: when Malkavar had left Whoville years before, he had kidnapped two Whos that Dr. Larue was extremely close to. Ever since she had wondered what happened to them, and if there was a chance – slim as it may be – that they were still alive.

"I think it's about time we sleep for the night," Horton yawned, gesturing to Morton who had already fallen asleep on his back. "Even if we did find Jojo tonight, there's no way we'd be able to take on Malkavar like this."

The other members of the rescue party nodded their agreement as Dr. Larue took out three sleeping bags for herself, the Mayor, and Sally. As she took the sleeping bags out of the jet-black bag she was carrying (the sleeping bags were expandable), a small black binder fell out, nearly losing some pages. Dr. Larue quickly grabbed the binder and stuffed it in the bag again, worriedly looking upward. "Good, no sign of them," she sighed with relief.

"What was that Dr. Larue?" Horton asked.

"I just said 'Good, no sign of them,'" Dr. Larue answered, which was true. She was just glad no one had caught sight of the binder – it needed to be kept safe, especially now.

As the group gradually settled down to sleep, two members of the group were wide awake. Ned and Sally gazed up at the stars, both of them wondering the same thing.

"_Where are you Jojo?" _

--

"WHHAAATT?!"

"I said 'and then we left the contraption there and took off,'" Bonewing answered humbly, cowering at the figure in front of him.

"I didn't mean that kind of 'what' you idiot!" the figure snarled. "I meant the kind of 'what' that means I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT!"

"W-we're sorry Master Malkavar sir," Shredclaw answered sheepishly. "I-I thought – "

"Well guess what? YOU THOUGHT WRONG!" Malkavar bellowed. "Bonewing had the right idea to take that contraption! Without it those foolish Whos could get reinforcements!"

"But sir!" Bonewing stuttered, "We've brought him!"

"So…you were able to capture the boy then?" Malkavar said in a softer, almost friendly tone. Bonewing and Shredclaw, however, knew that this soft voice meant _"This better be good, or else!"_

"Of course sir!" Shredclaw snickered excitedly. "We have him still trapped in that cage over there!"

Malkavar quickly went over to the cage where Jojo was still imprisoned. "So dear boy," Malkavar sneered, "at last I have found you!"

Jojo was bound to the floor of the cage with a chain, and he also had a gag in his mouth so he wasn't able to talk. It didn't really matter anyway; he had been knocked out cold from one of the electrical shocks.

Malkavar led the way as Bonewing and Shredclaw picked up the cage. He went through a few twisting passageways until they came to a small electrified door. Malkavar punched in the code to get rid of the barrier and opened the door. Opening the cage, Malkavar freed Jojo from his bindings and removed the gag from his mouth. A split second later, he threw the young Who into the room, slammed the door shut, and put up the barrier again.

The shock of the fall suddenly jolted Jojo out of unconsciousness. He felt dizzy and his head was throbbing with pain. Looking at the room, he saw a small bed and a dim bulb hanging overhead. He groaned slightly, still in shock.

"Are you okay?"

The sudden voice startled Jojo and caused him to jump. He turned around and saw a tan-furred Who with light pink hair. She looked about 30 years old. There was another tan-furred Who about the same age beside her, whose hair was a light shade of green.

"I'm okay," Jojo said hesitantly, still trying to ease the throbbing in his head. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sakura," the first Who said with a warm smile on her face. "This is my brother, Benjamin. I call him Ben for short though," she said with a hint of a laugh.

Ben gave his sister a quick glare, then turned to the new arrival. "Well, we've told you who we are, who are you?"

"I'm Jojo," Jojo answered quietly. He was still observing these Whos from within his mind. There was one burning question that was lodged into his brain, so he asked. "How did you get here?"

"Apparently the same way as you did," Benjamin said. "We were all kidnapped by Malkavar and brought here."

"But we were directly taken from Whoville 20 years ago," Sakura reminded her brother as Jojo's mouth fell open, "Jojo came to Nool on his own, but then Bonewing and Shredclaw captured him."

"Who are they?" Jojo questioned, "and how do you know all this?" _Where are we?_"

"In order," Sakura explained, "Malkavar is a crazy old Who. He used to live in Whoville but he fled and took us with him. Bonewing and Shredclaw are his right-hand vulture assistants. We know what happened to you because we heard Bonewing and Shredclaw talking about it."

"As for your last question," Ben finished up, "we don't know. The only view we have of the outside world is that little window over there." He pointed across the room to the window where the moon could be seen shining down on the three Whos.

Jojo walked over to the window and gasped. They seemed to be in a sort of mountain range, as there were dark looming mountain formations seen from almost everywhere, save for a small part of jungle vegetation that was still visible.

He turned to his new friends with a forlorn expression on his face. "Haven't you ever - "

"We've tried," Sakura answered before Jojo could finish. "We've tried to escape for 20 years! The window has a heat barrier and is electrified, so we can't get out there, and Malkavar always checks the door." She shook her head and sighed.

Jojo walked over to the window again, staring out at one particular star. It was small, but it shone the brightest out of all of them. It made Jojo think of Horton's phrase "a person's a person, no matter how small." He sadly gazed out at that star and began to sing.

_Always there to warm you in the winter,_

_Always there with shelter from the rain._

_Always there to catch you when you're falling,_

_Always there to stand you up again._

_Family._

Sakura and Ben gave Jojo a glance of understanding as Sakura started to sing, followed by her brother.

_By your side in seconds if you ask it,_

_Arms out wide to welcome you to stay._

_Near enough to listen to your heart's song,_

_Always there to help you on your way._

_Family._

_Family._

_Family._

In the undergrowth of the Jungle of Nool, the Mayor and his wife were the only members of the rescue party awake. With a soft glance toward his wife, the Mayor began to sing.

_What is a family?_

_Caring and devoted hearts._

Sally then pulled out a small picture of her, the Mayor, and Jojo. Struggling not to cry, she joined her husband in the song, both of them soon singing together.

_With endless love to share,_

_Love that will follow you everywhere._

Unknown to the two groups of Whos, though there were apart, they all sang the same song in a harmony that sang through the night sky.

_Always there to welcome you in winter,_

_(What is a family?)_

_Arms out wide to welcome you to stay._

_(Right by your side.)_

_Near enough to listen to your heart's song,_

_Always there to help you on your way._

_Family._

_(Always there.)_

_Family._

_(Family.)_

_Family._

And unknown to them, every single one was gazing sorrowfully at that very same star.

**--**

**A/N: I am SO sorry that the chapter was so short, but I've been very busy yet I wanted to get this up! 'Till next time!**


	6. A Chilling Occurance

A/N: Hello again everyone

**A/N: Hello again everyone! Thank you all for reviewing! Seriously, this is my most popular story EVER! Oh, and Tera Earth, if I had remembered the song "Somewhere Out There," I would DEFINITELY have used it! Unfortunately, I didn't remember it until AFTER I had posted up the chapter! I might include it in a later chapter though. The song in this chapter, called "Who You Really Are," is from Balto 2. This chapter has a lot going on, so put your thinking caps on! Anyway, on with the fic! **

**--**

"_This is a dream. It has to be a dream." _

Jojo shook his head, slowly adjusting his eyes to the strange, confusing place he found himself in. It was as if he was floating in a void of aurora-like colors. Jojo listened hard, hearing the sound patterns in this void. They weren't threatening, as the Jungle of Nool had been just as Bonewing and Shredclaw showed up, but rather a somewhat peaceful sound. The sounds helped the tensed Who to relax slightly.

"_Jojo." _

Jojo jumped, startled by the voice. It was faint, barely a whisper, but the adolescent Who heard it very clearly.

"_Jojo." _

There it was again, louder this time.

"_Jojo." _

This time, the voice sounded as if it were a group of people speaking at once. Jojo whipped his head around in all directions as he called out, "Who are you?"

"I think you mean 'what are you.'"

Jojo turned in the direction of the voice, for this was a different voice. This time the voice wasn't merely a whisper, but sounded as if it were right next to him. He turned to his right and saw a creature with the body of a cougar, the wings of a bird, and the head of a wolf. His body and wings were a light blue color, while his head was nearly the same color, with just a slight tinge of green.

"I am Naru, a creature known as a coubier," the creature said as he stared intently at the Who. "Those voices you heard earlier were just the wandering beings of this world. Strange way they were saying it though…" the being trailed off.

He noticed Jojo step back slightly from him, a confused expression on his face. "Don't worry, you have nothing to fear from me." Naru said reassuringly. "Likewise," he went on, "I have no need to be afraid of you."

"Why would you be – " Jojo started to ask before Naru held up a paw to stop him.

"Why should I be afraid of one who doesn't know who he is?"

Jojo sent a scornful glare toward Naru. "I know who I am! My name is Jojo. Jojo McDodd."

Naru nodded. "And my name, as you now know, is Naru. These things tell us _what_ we are, but not _who_ we are."

"I don't quite understand what you mean," Jojo said as he cocked his head at Naru. "I mean…" he sighed, "how do I find out who I am?"

"Everyone has their own path they must follow," Naru explained. "Everyone's path is different, but the journey to find your destiny begins within your heart."

It then seemed as if a wind was blowing around Jojo, but this wasn't a wind that could be felt. This was a wind of color and sound. The colors and sounds around him seemed to change dramatically. Naru gave him a small smile and started to sing.

_You must go to the east, go to the west,_

_The road is rocky, and the way is far._

_It's a dangerous trail, a difficult quest,_

_If you want to know,_

_Who you really are._

Jojo felt a strange sensation come over him as the colors seemed to shift, and the sounds with them. This time, it seemed somehow mysterious, as if it were calling to him. As the world turned a shade of indigo, it seemed as if many different voices were whispering in the void as Naru continued to sing.

_There are voices all around you,_

_To comfort and to guide you._

_Fathers and teachers,_

_Powerful creatures,_

_And the voice that sings inside you._

That verse sent Jojo's mind into a sudden whirl. The part about voices all around him…could that mean his gift? His talent? He then thought of his father and mother, who had always been like teachers to him. And the 'powerful creatures'…were they Malkavar and his associates? Though he hadn't seen Malkavar yet, from what he had heard from Ben and Sakura, he could tell he was up to no good.

Then there was that last part: "the voice that sings inside you."…what did that mean?

Jojo didn't have time to dwell on that, because the colors suddenly darkened, the rhythm turned threatening. He then heard other voices singing, not Naru this time. Confusing shapes appeared before him as the creatures began to sing, leering at the Who.

_Or you could turn back around,_

_Run along home,_

_Back to the place where your friends are._

_Perhaps that is best,_

_You need the rest,_

_Who wants to go on a ridiculous quest?_

As quickly as the creatures had arrived, just as they were close enough to Jojo to reach out and grab him, they drew back. The threatening rhythm vanished, replaced by a symphony of curiosity.

_Unless you want to know._

_You truly want to know._

_Unless you want to know,_

There seemed to be a ball of light hanging in front of Jojo, but has he tried to reach it, it seemed to be behind a barrier that was neither solid nor liquid. The strange light then exploded in a torrent that spread across the entire area. Naru then looked at Jojo and sang one phrase, with several voices echoing in the whirl of color and sound.

_Who you really are._

_(Who are you?)_

_(Who are you?)_

As the echoing of that one phrase began, it slowly grew louder and it seemed as if every creature, every color, every sound in this strange world, was asking Jojo that one question. Jojo looked at a small remnant of the light he had seen earlier, seeing a faint image form around its center. He gasped and his eyes widened as he saw what the image was – himself.

_Who are you?_

_Who are you?_

_Who are you?_

_Who are you?_

_Who are you?_

_Who are you?_

As the strange voices faded away, the colors slowly became still, fading into darkness. Jojo looked around for Naru, but he had gone. The only thing visible was the faint light with the image of Jojo around it. As he gazed at it, Jojo found himself asking that one question which echoed into the void:

"Who am I?"

"_Jojo, wake up!" _

Jojo slowly opened his eyes to see Sakura gently shaking him awake, with Ben kneeling down beside her as the morning light streamed through the small window. "You were mumbling in your sleep," Sakura told Jojo.

"We were beginning to think you were having a nightmare," Ben added.

Jojo drowsily shook his head. "No, I wasn't having a nightmare, just…a dream," he finished hesitantly. "It was really strange."

The two Whos gave each other a quick glance, then turned back to the teenage Who in front of them.

"What kind of a dream?" Ben asked softly, almost as if he were afraid to ask.

Jojo cocked his head inquiringly at the two Whos. Why was it that Ben seemed so hesitant to ask? And what was with that odd glance they shared?

He opened his mouth to tell them what his dream was about, but a sudden clanking noise stopped him. The three Whos turned in the direction of the sound, and realized that it was the door being unlatched. Jojo felt that threatening sensation fill him again. "Tell us later," he heard Sakura whisper to him. He only gave an affirmative nod.

When the door finally opened, Bonewing and Shredclaw quickly threw chains and cuffs around the prisoners. Sakura and Ben were tied almost together, despite the fact they were in separate chains, but Jojo was completely apart from them, trapped in his own bindings.

Before Jojo had time to react, the group was swiftly drug out of the room, through a series of passages into a large central hall. For the most part, the hall looked like an old abandoned castle, save for the newly polished table in the center.

The two vultures dropped the Whos into three seats at the table, firmly tying the chains so they would be unable to get free. Their hands and feet then had firm cuffs placed around them, so they could move them around a bit. Other than that, the Whos were immobilized.

"Well, well, well," a raspy voice spoke out. "Nice of you to join me for breakfast as usual, Ben and Sakura."

The sound vibrations around Jojo turned threatening again as he looked in the direction of the voice. He saw in his gaze a tall, light blue-furred Who, wearing a black coat and black hair that seemed very much like his own, despite the Who's age.

With a jolt, Jojo realized at once who he was looking at: Malkavar.

His piercing, dark brown eyes, giving the two older Whos only a passing glance, now turned toward the small Who he held captive. "Well," Malkavar muttered as he stared at Jojo, "it seems as if we have a guest."

Jojo only threw him a glare of hostility, attempting to hide the wariness hidden in his eyes. He desperately hoped Malkavar wouldn't detect this, but he had a chilling feeling that he could.

Malkavar suddenly gripped Jojo's right hand with surprising force. Jojo struggled under the touch of Malkavar's bony hand, which felt cold as ice. As Malkavar's eyes fixed on him, Jojo felt as if the colors, the sounds, were becoming distorted somehow. He panicked; he had never felt quite like this.

The sinister Who suddenly released his prisoner's hand, his expression unreadable. "Bonewing, Shredclaw," he ordered, "give these three Whos their breakfast now."

In the time that Jojo could blink his eyes, the two enormous vultures had brought out three plates with bacon, eggs, and fruit, glasses of water, and silverware. The food portions were small, so it wasn't as much as the prisoners would have liked. Still, some food was better than none.

But while Jojo hungrily ate his breakfast, he couldn't help remembering the strange sensation he had felt when Malkavar gripped his hand. And as he listened, he was the only one who heard the threatening Who whisper something that sent a chill down Jojo's spine:

"_I'll deal with the young one later." _

--

Far away in the Jungle of Nool, Horton and the other members of the rescue party were traveling in a thorn-covered area of the Jungle, where a small cave was in sight. This was the home of the vulture Vlad Vladikoff, who the group, on Morton's suggestion, was traveling to see.

"Honestly, Horton!" the blue mouse scolded his friend, "Sure, a bunny with cookies is going to give us a clue to where those two crazy vultures went! I think we can assume it's the vulture Vlad!"

"We at least know that they headed toward the mountains," Sally pointed out, "that at least narrows down the area we'll have to look." Sally was trying to keep everyone's hopes up, but that was hard to do when she had her own fleeting doubts.

"And Vlad might be able to point us in the right direction," Dr. Larue added as she carefully held Jojo's Transmoporter.

"I sure hope you're right," the Mayor said. "The sooner we find Jojo, the better."

With Kangaroo and Rudy leading the way, as they had been there before, the group slowly entered the cave where Vlad lived.

"Watch your step, Mr. and Mrs. O'Malley," Rudy advised, helpfully guiding the Mayor and his wife down the branch-covered pathway. The kangaroo was determined to help his new friends in whatever way he could.

"Mr. Vladikoff?" Kangaroo called into the gloominess of the cave.

At first, the only sound that could be heard was the faint dripping of water, but a loud flapping of wings soon signaled the appearance of Vlad, who flew into the lighted area of the cave.

"Ah, I see Horton and his friends have dropped by for a visit!" Vlad snickered as he landed. His laughter slowly died down as he noticed the three Whos. "Who are they?" he asked Horton as he gestured to them with his wing.

"These are my friends, Ned O'Malley, who's the Mayor of Whoville, his wife Sally, and Dr. Larue," Horton replied, pointing his trunk toward each of them in turn.

"So, these are from the speck on the clover!" Vlad grinned. "Very pleased to see you!"

"Actually, Mr. Vladikoff," the Mayor began.

"Call me Vlad, everyone does," Vlad interrupted with a small flap of his wing.

"Okay, Vlad," the Mayor continued, "we came here for your help."

"My help?" the vulture threw a questioning glance at the group. "What kind of help?"

"The Mayor's son Jojo was kidnapped yesterday by two vultures," Rudy answered before anyone else said anything. "We were hoping – "

"Two vultures?" Vlad suddenly exclaimed, now at full attention. "Big ones, right?"

"Exactly!" the Mayor confirmed, feeling a lot more hopeful than he had just a minute before.

"I saw them fly past here yesterday morning," Vlad continued, "I heard them talking about someone…started with an 'm'…"

"Malkavar?" Sally asked.

"That's it!" Vlad exclaimed. "Those birds said that Malkavar would be very pleased that the kidnapping plot had been 'perfectly executed' as they said it."

"So it was planned," Dr. Larue said in a horrified whisper.

"They had a sort of cage that they were carrying," Vlad added.

"Jojo was in there!" the Mayor told Vlad.

The vulture's face suddenly turned sympathetic. "So the figure in there was your son?" he asked.

Ned and Sally both nodded.

Vlad shook his head in sympathy. "He looked like he was in bad shape. It seemed as if he was being hit by miniature bolts of lightening."

The group let out a horrified gasp. They knew that the vulture must have been referring to the electrical shocks.

"I'm going to get them for hurting Jojo like that!" the Mayor cried out.

"Did you see exactly where they were going?" Morton asked Vlad.

"They were heading in the direction of Grim Mountain."

Everyone turned to the left, for the voice that had just spoken wasn't Vlad's. This voice was somewhat squeaky, but all the Noolans immediately recognized who it was.

"Vlad?"

This time, the group wasn't referring to Vlad Vladikoff, but a small white bunny who was just finishing the last of a cookie.

"Wait, you saw where they were headed?" Morton questioned as he stared at the bunny.

Bunny Vlad nodded. "Grim Mountain. It's one of the taller mountains in the area."

Morton looked from vulture Vlad to bunny Vlad and smacked his forehead. "So much for saying Bunny Vlad wasn't going to know where the vultures went," Morton muttered to himself.

"I've heard that Grim Mountain is supposed to be the most dangerous place in the Jungle of Nool," Kangaroo pointed out a little worriedly. "If Jojo's there…"

"Then we're going to have to rescue Jojo ASAP," Horton exclaimed. "Whatever that means! It probably means 'Act Swiftly Awesome Pachyderm!"

"Actually, it means 'As Soon As Possible'," Dr. Larue corrected him.

"Well, know that I know that, I wish it was my version," Horton said with a small laugh. He then turned toward the two Vlads and addressed them both. "We're going to the mountains to rescue Jojo. Do you two want to come with us?"

"Sure thing!" Bunny Vlad replied.

"I'll come," Vlad agreed, "then I could fly above you and tell you all if I see anything! Then I'll show those vultures who the main bird is here!"

"Then onward to Grim Mountain!" Horton exclaimed. "Operation: Rescue Jojo is now underway!"

With Horton leading them, the group started off with a glimmer of hope shining in their hearts.

Unfortunately, they didn't know just how difficult the journey would be…and if they would be able to reach their destination in time to save Jojo.

**--**

**A/N: Finally I finished that chapter! Yeah, a lot of stuff happened here, but I wanted to give you all a bit of info on what was going on between the two groups! By the way, Ben and Sakura's clothes are the same color as their hair, in case you were wondering! Feel free to draw any pictures of them or any other part of the fanfic! Oh, and I'd appriciate it if you gave me a link in a review/message if you do! Till next time! **


	7. Follow Me Now

A/N: Hello everyone

**A/N: Hello everyone! I meant to put this chapter up yesterday, but I was really busy. Just for your information, this chapter here focuses mainly on Horton and the others, because I feel I need to describe the beginning of their journey to Grim Mountain. Don't worry: Jojo WILL be in the next chapter! And speaking of Jojo…May 17 was (according to my fic if you remember) Jojo's birthday! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY JOJO! By the way, the song in this chapter "Follow Me Now" is from Alvin and the Chipmunks. Another thing…that dream Jojo had and the way he felt under Malkavar's touch in the previous chapter has significance! Enjoy the chapter! (and pachysam, thanks for the ideas! You get a chapter dedication!) **

**--**

The rescue party in the Jungle of Nool was finally on track of their destination, thanks to a little help from Bunny Vlad. The rescue party was about 6 miles away from the mountains, and the vegetation was already starting to look less vibrant than normal. However, just because they knew where Grim Mountain was, that didn't mean it would be easy getting there.

"Okay, we're not even close to Grim Mountain, and already I'm dreading going there!" Morton exclaimed as the group tread through the Jungle with their sights set on the looming mountains that were somewhat far ahead of them.

"Morton," Horton said gently, "we have to go there to save Jojo. Do you want him to be hurt?"

"No, no!" Morton said quickly. "Of course I don't want him to get hurt! I'm just saying that _all_ of those mountains look dangerous, that's all."

"I think we all agree with you Morton," Sally said as her voice shook a little. Both she and her husband were even more worried about Jojo, considering he was being held captive at the most dangerous place in all of Nool.

"Well, it's sure not going to be a piece of cake getting there," said Kangaroo in a worried tone. "Grim Mountain is Mt. Nool's opposite. If Mt. Nool's the safest place, Grim Mountain's the most dangerous. That's why they're on opposite sides of the Jungle."

"Poor Jojo," Rudy said softly with a concerned frown on his face. "I hope he'll be okay."

The Mayor and his wife gave Rudy a grateful smile. "That's really nice of you to say Rudy," the Mayor said as he put his hand on Rudy's shoulder.

"Have any of you actually been to Grim Mountain?" Dr. Larue asked as she stared at the mountain range with an inquiring look on her face. She appeared to be studying the features of the large mountains.

"Been to it?!" Kangaroo exclaimed, stopping in her tracks as she whirled around at the Who. "My son and I have never even been within 5 miles of that mountain range! It's far too dangerous!"

"Not many people go into that mountain range and come out again," vulture Vlad said softly.

The three Whos let out a panicked gasp as they whirled around at vulture Vlad.

"Don't tell them that!" Horton said firmly to vulture Vlad. "Can't you see they're in enough distress about Jojo?"

"I'm sorry," vulture Vlad insisted, "I didn't mean to make anyone upset. I was just stating the facts. They have the right to know just how dangerous that place is!"

Bunny Vlad sighed. "Look you guys, if we spend all our time arguing, we'll never reach Jojo in time!"

"You have a point there, Vlad," Horton said as he addressed the rabbit. "We'd better get going to get to Grim Mountain ASAP!"

"You said it!" the Mayor said somewhat enthusiastically. Then he stopped, his voice suddenly lowered with a fearful edge to it. "Even though there's tons of mountains there and they all look treacherous, not to mention Vlad said not many people come out – "

"Hey, I said I was sorry," vulture Vlad insisted, but the Mayor seemed oblivious to what he was saying. Rudy and Kangaroo gave the Whos a sad and sympathetic glance. Rudy in particular looked devastated.

"And to think," the Mayor went on, his voice approaching near hysteria, "my son is trapped there by the most dangerous Who in all of Whoville or Nool, and he could be tortured or – "

At that moment, Sally gently took her husband's hand as she looked firmly into his eyes. "Ned, please," she said as small tears were starting to form in her eyes. "I feel like having a breakdown too," she said gently, "but if that happens, we won't have the strength to go through with this." She comfortingly placed her hand on her husband's cheek. "We have to be strong Ned, for Jojo's sake."

The Mayor paused to wipe the tears from his own eyes. "Right," he said quietly, as he took a deep breath. "For Jojo." He then gently embraced his wife, no longer trying to stop the tears that were flowing from his eyes. The group could see that Sally was crying too.

Bunny Vlad shot a brief "Now look what you've done," glare at vulture Vlad.

"I didn't mean to make them _cry_!" vulture Vlad whispered to the rabbit. "I was just trying to say – "

"Just don't say anymore right now Vlad," Morton cut the vulture off firmly. "They're worried about their son." That remark made Vlad shut his beak instantly.

Dr. Larue went over two her two friends and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "We all have to be strong in a time like this," she said encouragingly. "If we stick together, we'll find him."

Ned and Sally both managed brief smiles. "Thank you Dr. Larue," they said at the same time.

"Mind if I ask what's going on here?" a rough but familiar voice suddenly spoke up.

Everyone whirled around to find a group of about 10 purple monkeys staring at them. The largest of them all stepped forward, indicating that he was the one who had spoken.

"Yummo! Wickershams!" Horton exclaimed. "You startled us!"

"Sorry," Yummo said quickly. "Now, what is going on here? And who are they?" The monkey gestured to the three Whos.

"The Mayor of Whoville, his wife Sally, and Dr. Larue." Morton replied.

"Wait a minute," one of the Wickershams spoke up, "so they're from that dust speck world?"

"Yup!" Horton said.

"And to answer your other question, Dr. Larue said, "Their son Jojo," she pointed at Ned and Sally as she said this, "was just kidnapped."

All the Wickershams gasped in unison.

"Kidnapped?" Yummo said softly, "By whom?"

"Some crazy Who named Malkavar over at Grim Mountain," Rudy answered.

"Grim Mountain?!" all of the Wickershams gasped in disbelief.

Everyone else nodded.

"But that's – " Yummo started.

"The most dangerous place in all of Nool," Kangaroo interrupted with a grim expression. "We know."

Suddenly the conversation was interrupted by a small sound. The Noolans turned to look and saw that Dr. Larue had placed the Transmoporter on the ground as a screen expanded and showed several Whos in the Observatory. This included the Chairman and some of the 96 O'Malley daughters.

"Mom? Dad?" one of the elder daughters asked. "Are you there?"

Ned and Sally stepped in front of the Transmoporter screen. "Yeah Holly," Ned replied, managing a slight smile. "We are here."

"We are here! We are here! We are here!" the youngest daughter, Heady, exclaimed with a smile, mimicking the cry that the Whos had shouted to get themselves to be heard. Her parents shared a warm smile.

The Chairman cleared his throat and stepped closer to the screen. "Mr. Mayor," he started hesitantly, "have you found – "

"Not yet," Sally said softly, "but we know where he was taken. He's at a place called Grim Mountain." She moved aside to reveal the foreboding mountains, causing all the O'Malley daughters to gasp.

"That's where Jojo is?!" Holly exclaimed in disbelief, staring in shock at her parents.

"Unfortunately, yes," Horton said with a sigh. "Luckily, we have quite a few friends to help us out!"

"And you can count us in!" Yummo spoke up.

"What?" Kangaroo turned to Yummo with an expression of amazement.

"You're coming?" Rudy asked with admiration.

The Wickersham leader shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not?" The other monkeys called out their agreement.

"Alright!" Horton exclaimed. "Welcome to Operation: Rescue Jojo!"

The Whos in the Observatory cheered, but suddenly a faint call could be heard.

"Girls! Time to go back to the house!"

"Coming Mrs. Whonifer!" Holly called back. Mrs. Whonifer had been hired to watch the O'Malley children while their parents were away. With a quick "Bye Mom! Bye Dad! Please find our brother soon!" Holly led her sisters out of the Observatory as the screen flickered off.

Dr. Larue placed the Transmoporter in her black bag, which she had invented to be able to fit a large amount of objects. "We'd better get going," she said softly as she looked at the mountains, getting closer by the minute and with what looked like dark clouds looming overhead.

Horton noticed that everyone was looking a little nervous as they walked, so he felt like they needed some help to get their confidence up (and, to be honest, his own too). After humming to himself for a minute, he started to sing, softly at first but soon growing in volume.

_This morning I woke up, and something had changed,_

_I felt kinda good, and it felt kinda strange._

_There's something going on here,_

_And maybe it's a brand new world,_

_Or I'm just crazy, insane._

Bunny Vlad, who was now getting in the spirit of things, started to sing, with Rudy soon joining in.

_So everything's different,_

_Well I guess that's O.K._

'_Cause those thoughts that used to hold me down,_

_Have all gone away._

_I feel like I can take on the world,_

_So come along for the ride,_

_Or just get out of my way._

With everyone's spirits slowly lifting, Morton, Kangaroo, and Vlad joined in the chorus.

_Come on! Come on!_

_Get up! Get up!_

_Let's go won't you follow me_

_Let's go won't you follow me now._

Kangaroo and vulture Vlad then picked up the next verse.

_So tell me your secrets,_

_And I'll sell you my soul._

To everyone's surprise, it was the Mayor who sang the next part of the song.

_There's a shovel in my heart,_

_And it's digging a hole._

Sally and Dr. Larue both sang along with the Mayor on the last part of the verse.

_The devil and the god in my head,_

_Are having breakfast in my brain,_

_And it's driving me insane. _

With everyone caught up in the moment, the entire group joined in on the chorus.

_Come on! Come on!_

_Get up! Get up!_

_Let's go won't you follow me_

_Let's go won't you follow me now. _

With a new air of confidence as they walked on, they all sang the final verse of the song.

_Won't someone follow me now?_

**--**

**A/N: Whew! Finally done that chapter! Hope you enjoyed! Oh, and check out my oneshot, One Small Noise. Remember to review!**


	8. Somewhere Out There

A/N: Okay, I know you guys are probably ready to pounce on me screaming "WHY HAVEN'T YOU UPDATED IN FOREVER

**A/N: Okay, I know you guys are probably ready to pounce on me screaming "WHY HAVEN'T YOU UPDATED IN FOREVER?!" Well, my computer was experiencing problems. Whenever I tried to upload a document, the Internet would shut off! But now it's fixed, and I AM BACK! And I'm sure glad I am, because I missed you guys reading it! This chapter is focused mainly on Jojo's predicament, since I focused practically the last two chapters on the rescue party. In this chapter, we finally (wow, 'finally' is the word of the intro here!) learn quite a few things about the whole deal with Malkavar's plot, and why he kidnapped Jojo. Oh, and the song used at the end of the chapter is "Somewhere Out There" from the movie "An American Tail." (finally I found an opportunity to use it!) Ned and Sally sing Fievel's part, and Jojo sings Tanya's part. Anyway, now that I can FINALLY put it up, welcome to the next chapter of Silence and Song! (Over 100 reviews! YAY!) **

**--**

Malkavar, Bonewing, and Shredclaw had led the new prisoner, along with Ben and Sakura, on a kind of tour through the squalid prison that was now Jojo's home.

"He did the same thing to us the first time we came here," Ben had whispered to Jojo as they were dragged along by their chains. "He said it was to show just how tightly guarded the place is, and there's no hope of escape." He started to say more, but a threatening glare from Shredclaw cut him off.

Throughout the "tour," Malkavar constantly hurt his prisoners, either by a whip or having Bonewing and Shedclaw attacking them. He didn't seem to do all that much to Ben and Sakura, however his punishments on Jojo were much harsher. It seemed like every five steps he'd hurt the young Who in some way or another.

As the light of day faded, night setting in, Jojo, Ben, and Sakura were, one by one, thrown back into their cell. Almost instantaneously, Malkavar entered the room, with Bonewing and Shredclaw guarding the door behind him. While Malkavar only gave the two older Whos an insignificant glance as he undid their bounds, his eyes turned cold as they rested their gaze on Jojo.

Without warning, Malkavar gripped Jojo's hand again, much more forcefully than he that that morning. The young Who tried his hardest not to cry out. When Malkavar was around, Jojo had decided he wouldn't talk, thus betraying his voice, but the sinister Who's grip was strong. Painful even. Jojo felt that terrible distortion of sounds again, and there was no mistaking the glimmer of malevolence written on his captor's face.

"Jojo!" Sakura whispered, but one dark look from Bonewing stopped her from saying any more.

Malkavar forced Jojo's head up by tugging his hair upward so the young Who stared him in the face. He leaned toward Jojo and whispered into his ear.

"48 hours. Within 48 hours your fate will be decided."

With a dark smile, Malkavar roughly knocked Jojo down to the cell floor and slapped him across the face. With a cold leer at Jojo, him and the vultures left the room, securely locking the door.

Ben and Sakura worriedly ran over to their young Who friend. They noticed that, in addition to his other injuries, his face was red from being slapped by Malkavar. "Are you alright Jojo?" Ben asked with concern written on his face.

Jojo nodded, gently rubbing his cheek where Malkavar had slapped him. "I'm okay." The teenage Who's brown eyes suddenly turned away from his cellmates as he stared down at the floor. "48 hours," he whispered grimly to himself.

Sakura's head shot up, more alert now. "What did you just say, Jojo?"

Jojo paused, then answered quietly. "Malkavar said to me 'Within 48 hours your fate will be decided.'"

"Oh no, not now!" Ben suddenly blurted out, then covered his mouth instantly. He shifted his eyes from Sakura, who had a stern but sad expression on her face, and Jojo, who wore an expression of utmost confusion.

"W-What did you just say?" Jojo asked hesitantly, looking back and forth at the two Whos. "What are you talking about Ben?"

Sakura suddenly got up, going over toward the electrified door as she put her ear up against the wall. After a moment she came back and sat down between Jojo and her brother. "It's safe," Sakura sighed, finally turning her eyes to Jojo. "Jojo," Sakura began slowly, "what exactly was your dream about?"

Jojo cocked his head, more confused than he was before. "What does my dream have to with – ?"

"Please," Sakura said gently, placing her hand on Jojo's shoulder. "It's important." She sighed as she looked into Jojo's puzzled eyes. "We need to know."

Jojo, his confusion growing, got his thoughts together for a moment before he spoke. "I was in this strange void-like place that seemed to have shifting colors and sounds. I was looking around, and suddenly I heard voices whispering my name."

Ben opened his mouth to say something, but Sakura placed her hand firmly on his arm. She then nodded at Jojo, urging him to continue.

Jojo stared at them for a moment before continuing. "Then this creature showed up, and he said his name was Naru. He said my name tells me _what_ I am, but not _who_ I am."

"Go on," Ben said softly, his voice barely audible.

"Then the colors and sounds started to shift as Naru sang this song," Jojo continued slowly, his confusion changing into a feeling of unease. He had a strong hunch that Ben and Sakura knew something that they weren't telling him. "When the song started to end, there was this strange ball of light that appeared, and then seemingly exploded into the void. There was only a small center of that ball left, and I saw an image of myself forming around it."

Ben's eyes widened in complete astonishment. He was opening his mouth to say something once more, but was cut off by Sakura squeezing his arm. "Wait for him to finish," she said gently, but Jojo could tell that there was something she wanted to say as well.

Jojo's hunch grew stronger and stronger with every passing moment, and the feeling continued to climb as he finished the description of his dream. "Everything began to fade away at that point, and the only thing that I could see was that light with the image of myself around it. I stared at it and asked myself 'Who am I?' That was when you woke me up," he concluded, looking from Ben to Sakura in hopes of an explanation.

Ben and Sakura looked at once from each other to Jojo. It was Sakura who spoke up first.

"Jojo," Sakura started, sounding as if there was something she didn't want to say, but had no choice. "Malkavar – he planned all this."

"I know that already," Jojo said slowly.

"I don't think you get what she meant, Jojo," Ben explained with a sigh. It was several moments before he spoke again. "Bonewing and Shredclaw didn't just randomly see you and kidnap you because you stood apart from the group…they were focused on _you_ the entire time."

Jojo's face paled.

"Malkavar just sent Bonewing and Shredclaw to wait for the time when you'd come." Sakura explained with a shudder in her voice.

The young Who grew even paler. "How could he have known?" Jojo asked shakily. _This can't be true!_ he thought to himself. _It can't be!_

"Well," Ben broke off for a moment, hesitant to say any more, then sighed. There was no going back now. "You see, Malkavar's a scientist and inventor…he works on experiments dealing with sound."

"He heard you," Sakura explained slowly, each word causing her to tear her eyes away from Jojo's. "He heard you last year."

Jojo just stared for a moment. _How could he have_ – then he remembered. The dust speck incident. His cry that saved Whoville. His eyes widened as the realization dawned on him.

"He didn't know what you said," Sakura continued, "but that shout echoed through one of his sound machines. It showed that you were the one who said it, Jojo, and that the noise came from Whoville. He's had the feeling that you'd come ever since. He's been watching you."

Jojo's head was spinning, his mind reeling. _Sounds echo through everything_ he reminded himself, _but why did it have to be Malkavar who heard?_

"From watching you," Ben continued for Sakura, "he realized that you could hear musical patterns in everything, and _that_ is why he's been waiting for you to come!"

"I don't understand," Jojo said as his voice shook. He wasn't really sure if he even wanted to know.

"That is what he was searching for 20 years ago when he fled from Whoville!" Sakura explained, feeling terrible but knowing she had to continue. "He was searching for indication of the Speaker of Sound! And the Speaker of Sound is _you!_"

"I'm the…Speaker of Sound?" Jojo asked softly, his palms sweating as dizziness came over him.

"The Speaker of Sound," Ben explained, "is the one who can hear musical patterns in every single sound made. Malkavar's built a room somewhere in this lair that allows sound energies to be magnified. He plans on harnessing all that sound energy you have within you, then using it to power hypnotic, destructive sound patterns to vibrate throughout Nool and Whoville. That way everything and everyone will be under his control."

"And another thing," Sakura spoke up suddenly. She didn't say anything for what seemed like a minute. She finally looked Jojo in the face as tears fell from her eyes. "Malkavar is planning to kill you."

Jojo felt as if a shiver that was as cold as a block of ice was crawling down his spine. "Kill me?" he whispered in disbelief.

Sakura could only nod, and leaned onto her brother's shoulder as she started to cry.

"How do you know all this?" Jojo questioned, shivering a little.

"Malkavar told us," Ben said softly. "He told us when he found out who you were and he said if we told you he'd make sure we'd pay for it. But we couldn't hide the truth from you anymore Jojo. We knew you needed to know, especially after what Malkavar said to you."

"48 hours," Sakura whispered quietly, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Malkavar's given you 48 hours. We have to get you out of here before then. Otherwise you'll be…" She couldn't finish her sentence. She didn't need to.

"Sakura," Ben said reluctantly to his sister, "we should probably get some sleep."

"We can't!" Sakura argued, though her voice betrayed how tired she was.

"I know you're frantic, and so am I," Ben said slowly, "but we're going to have to be well rested if we're going to be able to figure out an escape plan."

Sakura looked at her brother for a moment before letting out a slow, long sigh. "You're right Ben," she whispered as she settled herself into a comfortable sleeping position on the floor of the cell. "I guess we should sleep now."

Ben found a place to sleep on the floor as well before turning to Jojo. "You can sleep on the bed Jojo, it's okay."

"Thanks Ben," Jojo said quietly ss he climbed onto it. "Good night Ben. Good night Sakura."

"Good night Jojo," the siblings said in unison.

Jojo went over the conversation he had with the siblings, remembering what they had said. _We've got to get out of here as fast as we can_ he thought after several minutes of recalling everything the pair had revealed to him. He then noticed that Ben and Sakura were asleep.

Jojo stared gloomily out the window, since it was right next to where he slept anyway. The full moon was shining down on him, and as he looked he could see that small but bright star again. All Jojo wanted right now was to be back home.

Somewhere in the harsh undergrowth of the mountains, about a day's journey away from Grim Mountain, the rescue party had surprisingly found shelter for the night. Only two members of the rescue party were awake. Ned and Sally were growing increasingly worried about their son, dreading that he might be hurt, or worse.

With a glance at her husband, then to that small bright star they had seen the last night, Sally started to sing; a song that her and Ned had sung to Jojo as a lullaby when he was younger.

_Somewhere out there,_

_Beneath the pale moonlight,_

Turning his gaze upward as well, Ned started to sing too, desperately hoping his son was okay.

_Someone's thinking of me,_

_And loving me tonight._

Jojo, caught up in his own memories, started to sing the same song.

_Somewhere out there,_

_Someone's saying a prayer,_

_That we'll find one another,_

_In that big somewhere out there._

Jojo looked intently at the bright star now. He had a feeling that, somewhere, his parents were watching that same star as he was. That feeling comforted him as he started to sing again.

_And even though I know how very far apart we are,_

_It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star._

Sally, steeling herself to continue singing, took out the small picture of Jojo and began to cry as she sang.

_And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,_

Ned, looking sadly at the picture, felt tears come to his eyes too. He then gazed up at the star along with his wife as he sang with a wishful voice, hoping that Jojo could hear him.

_It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky._

Despite the distances that separated them, Jojo and his parents sang with so much longing as tears fell down their faces, it was almost as if they could hear each other singing.

_Somewhere out there,_

_If love can see us through,_

_Then we'll be together, somewhere out there,_

_Out where dreams come true._

**--**

**A/N: Okay I know the end of the chapter was sad (I nearly cried while writing the song part), but I hope you enjoyed it! Once again, forgive me for taking a while to update! Read and review!**


	9. Contacted Through a Call

A/N: Oh boy, Jojo's in big danger now

**A/N: Oh boy, Jojo's in big danger now! Him and the others need to get out FAST, or else poor Jojo's done for! However, in this chapter a little luck might be on his side! Anyway, on with the chapter! **

**--**

"Psst. Jojo, wake up."

Jojo hesitantly opened his eyes to see Ben gently shaking him awake, with Sakura next to him.

"We thought you might want to wake up a little earlier than usual," Sakura whispered as Jojo struggled out of sleep. "It will give us more time to think up an escape plan."

Jojo nodded, a determined expression on his face as he sat up. However, a curious movement outside the window caught his eye. In the small jungle clearing, not far away from the mountain they were in, Jojo could see a group of figures heading toward the mountain. His eyes widened as he noticed one of them was an elephant.

"Horton!" he said excitedly, turning to his cellmates as he motioned them toward the window. With both he and the two older Whos looking out the window, Jojo took a deep breath and called out.

"HORTON!"

Jojo's call carried down to the rescue party in that small clearing, and everyone looked up.

"Was that…" Horton said in a whisper, looking toward Grim Mountain.

"I think so," Rudy replied, his voice filled with curiosity and hope.

"That was…that was Jojo!" Ned exclaimed ecstatically, overjoyed now that his son was okay.

Sally looked relieved as she gazed up at the mountain. "Jojo, you're alive!" she shouted in happiness. Her face suddenly lit up as an idea struck her. She turned to vulture Vlad. "Vlad, do you think you could fly up there and talk to Jojo? We need to make sure he's not hurt."

Vulture Vlad smiled. "Of course I will!" he confirmed, flying off before anyone could say any more.

Ned smiled as he looked at his wife, then turned toward Grim Mountain with a stern, determined look on his face. "If Malkavar's done anything to my son," he murmured darkly, "I'll personally make sure he is shredded to pieces!"

Since they weren't very far, and Vlad was flying as fast as he could, it barely took him any time at all to get up to the window. "Jojo!" he exclaimed as he reached the window. "Are you okay?"

"Vlad!" Jojo's exclaimed, then paused as Ben and Sakura moved away from the window. "It's okay," he reassured them, "Vlad's a friend." He turned back to Vlad again, who spoke before Jojo could continue.

"You're parents have been so worried about you!" Vlad exclaimed. He paused as he looked at Ben and Sakura. "Who are they?"

"They're Ben and Sakura," Jojo explained. "They were kidnapped from Whoville 20 years ago."

"Ah," Vlad said thoughtfully as if a sudden realization had come upon him. "So you are the Whos that Dr. Larue spoke of!"

"Our sister?" Sakura gasped with a fond and excited smile on her face. "She's okay?"

"She's one of the members of our rescue party that came to look for Jojo." Vlad explained to them.

Jojo whipped his head around at the two older Whos and stared, open-mouthed. "Dr. Larue is your _sister_?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah! Mary Lou's a couple years younger than us. Do you know her?"

"Of course I know her!" Jojo confirmed. "She's the first one I told about the Transmoporter."

"Transmoporter?" Ben questioned, his eyebrows arched in confusion.

"My invention that was used to get to Nool in the first place," Jojo explained. "Dr. Larue's a scientist, so I'd tell her about my progress."

Sakura and Ben shared a smile. "We always suspected she'd grow up to become a scientist," Sakura whispered fondly. "Science was always her favorite subject in school, and sometimes she'd make inventions of her own during her free time."

Jojo was about to say something in reply, but Vlad interrupted the conversation.

"Sorry to intrude," he said, but we should be getting you out of here." He attempted to reach Jojo, but pulled back when a searing bolt hit him.

"The door has heat and electric barriers," Jojo explained to the dazed vulture. "We can't get out."

"We're going to have to find a way out soon though," Ben reminded him as he turned to Vlad. "Malkavar's planning to kill Jojo within a span of several hours…maybe even today."

"What?!" Vlad exclaimed in worry and shock. "Don't worry, I'll go and tell the others! We'll get you three out in time!"

"I hope so," Jojo whispered to himself as the vulture flew back, realizing just how little time he might have left.

Vlad was back with the rescue group in a flash, a frantic and hurried look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Sally asked anxiously, worried as soon as she saw Vlad's face.

"Is Jojo okay?" Ned questioned, practically gripping Vlad's wings. "Is he hurt?"

Vlad took a few deep breaths, attempting to regain his composure.

"Jojo's okay at the moment," he began, "and so are the two other Whos."

"Ben and Sakura?" Dr. Larue asked in shock. "My brother and sister are alive?" The Noolans turned toward her, having not known that Dr. Larue had a brother and sister, much less the fact that they had been kidnapped by Malkavar as well.

Vlad nodded. "Yes, they're alive." His voice had been somewhat calm at that moment, but it quickly turned frantic again. "We need to hurry! Jojo's in danger! Malkavar is planning to kill him!"

"WHAT??" everyone screamed in outrage, panic, anxiety, and fear.

"If Malkavar wants Jojo, he's going to have to go through me to do it!" Ned shouted.

"I'm with you Ned!" Sally agreed, frantic for her son but more determined than ever to save him.

"We all are!" Horton agreed, everyone looking up at Grim Mountain as they voiced their firm agreement.

Kangaroo began to speak, addressing the entire rescue party. "Malkavar may be planning something that could effect not just us, but the entire Jungle of Nool." She spoke with an authority not unlike the tone she had used when addressing the Noolans about Horton a year before.

"Thanks to him, our freedom, our way of life, is under attack!" Kangaroo continued. "And I ask you," she raised her voice, making sure everyone could hear her. "Are we going to let him get away with it?!"

"NO!" everyone shouted.

"Are we going to rescue our Who friends?"

"YES!" everyone shouted again.

"For Jojo!" Rudy exclaimed.

"For Jojo!" Ned and Sally echoed.

"FOR JOJO!" everyone shouted in unison.

Horton then took charge of the situation. "If we're going to save Jojo, we'll need to get there as fast as possible! In order to do that, we'll need teamwork!"

He turned toward the two Vlads. "Bunny Vlad, you climb on vulture Vlad's back so you two can look out for obstacles and tell us if you can see what Malkavar's up to."

"Your wish is our command, Horton!" Bunny Vlad said as he climbed onto vulture Vlad's back, holding on tight as Vlad began to lift off the ground.

Horton turned to Morton next. "Morton, I think you'd better go with the Vlads," he said. "You're really good at spotting things. If the Vlads miss something important that's going on, you'll be the one who's able to spot it!"

Morton, grinning, waiting until Vlad lowered to the ground before scampering onto the vulture's back.

"Mayor, Sally, Dr. Larue," Horton turned and smiled at the Whos, "climb on my back."

As the three Whos climbed onto Horton's back, he looked over his shoulder at them. "Hang on!" he whispered to his friends. Turning to the others, he raised his voice. "Everyone else, run as fast as you can! Now let's go!"

With a cry, everyone charged as fast as they could toward the mountain, through a thick, dark path of thorny undergrowth. Suddenly, before the group could blink, they all felt a sensation of falling. It took all of them a moment to realize that they had fallen into a deep, foreboding pit. The two Vlads and Morton were ambushed by a large hulking creature, trapping them in the pit with the others.

Everyone looked quickly around them, realizing that they were surrounded on all sides by pairs of glowing yellow eyes.

"Going somewhere?" a voice rasped, laughing maniacally.

The group huddled together, wondering what kind of creatures were confronting them in their bleak surroundings.

**--**

**A/N: This doesn't look good! The rescue party has finally made contact with Jojo, but now they're trapped in a pit with creatures surrounding them! Time's running out for Jojo as well, so will the rescue party make it through and be able to save Jojo? Find out next chapter! **


	10. Time is Running Out

A/N: I deeply apologize for not updating in over a month

**A/N: I deeply apologize for not updating in over a month! Please forgive me! I actually was kind of reluctant to write this chapter, because there will be only a few more after this one before the fic is over! (Audience: AWWW!) But, I know I had to continue sometime, so here it is! And by the way, a certain character that appeared in an earlier chapter (chapter 6, to narrow things down) makes a return! And yes, I am well aware that the chapter title is a song by Muse! Anyway, enjoy! **

**--**

"Mom?" Rudy whispered nervously. "What's going on?"

"Shh, I don't know, Rudy," Kangaroo said in a reassuring whisper. However, it was clear that she was on edge too.

"Going somewhere?" the strange voice repeated again when no one replied.

"Yeah, we're going somewhere!" Horton shouted into the darkness. Though his tone was strong, Horton wasn't exactly feeling very brave at the moment. "We need to get though to the top of the mountain, and fast!"

"I don't think so," the voice cackled, stepping out of the darkness. It was a purple she-wolf-like creature, with purple spikes on her back that were black at the tips. The rescue party could see that the other creatures were just like her. "No one gets to Malkavar as long as I have anything to say about it!" She snarled at them.

"W-Who are you?" Ned asked nervously, failing to hide the fear in his voice.

The wolf creature grunted disapprovingly. "Oh stop that miserable shaking, you fool! Your fear-scent is so strong I bet Bonewing and Shredclaw could smell it!" She laughed as she swiped her paw at Ned, who yelped as he jumped back to avoid her sharp claws. "I am Slavkaa, leader of the scrolve pack!" She paced back and forth, with the other pack members surrounding the rescue party, save for the two restraining Morton and the Vlads.

"You have to let us go through, Slavkaa!" Horton insisted, braver now as he held his head up high. "We're on a mission!"

Slavkaa smirked at him, the spikes on her back flattening slightly. "A mission?" She chuckled with an amused look on her face. "You mean to rescue that little weak shrimp of a Who?"

"OUR SON IS NOT WEAK, OR A SHRIMP!" Ned and Sally both shouted in outrage at the same time. Ned ran to pound Slavkaa for saying that about his son, but he was knocked away like a bothersome fly, left with a bleeding gash on his arm.

"I told you that you were a fool, and that weak attempt proves it!" Slavkaa barked at Ned. "There's no way you're getting through to save your son. Malkavar's a friend, and I can't let anyone foil his plans!"

Horton's eyes narrowed. He wasn't about to give up now that they were so close to reaching Jojo. "You're wrong! I meant what I said, and I said what I meant!" He gathered up his courage and looked the Scrolve leader in the eye. "And an elephant's faithful 100 percent!"

"Oh please!" another scrolve said tauntingly. "We don't want to hear any ramblings about that! That Who kid will probably be killed anytime now!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Horton shouted out.

As if on cue, everyone sprang into action. Horton charged at the various members of the scrolve pack, while vulture Vlad knocked away the scrolves who had pinned him down, slamming them into a solid rock wall. Yummo and the Wickershams, in the meantime, were pummeling a few scrolves into the ground.

Morton and Bunny Vlad used their speed to outwit their opponents. Their pursuers were so busy concentrating on a chance for a quick snack, they didn't look where they were going and crashed into a group of stalagmites, knocking them unconscious.

Rudy, Kangaroo, and the three Whos worked together, firing weapons that Dr. Larue had brought along in her bag, just in case. "These work perfectly!" Dr. Larue exclaimed as they fired at the wolf-like creatures. "I didn't even get to give them test runs, and they work!"

"This is for Jojo!" Sally cried out, firing a purple laser blast at a large scrolve about to attack her husband. Ned ducked just in time, the purple laser knocking his would-be attacker away. "Thanks Sally!" he exclaimed, giving his wife a high five.

Using their teamwork, it didn't take long for the group to defeat Slavkaa's army.

"You…you – " Slavkaa struggled to say, at a loss for words as she looked around at her defeated pack. "Fine," the female scrolve growled darkly, "but I swear, this won't be the end of it!" Her back spikes, which had been raised aggressively, now flattened again. "Your Who friend is probably dead by now, anyway."

"We're not going to give up!" Horton insisted. Without a moment's hesitation, the group raced out of the thorny undergrowth and headed up the mountain. They were now no more than five minutes away, less if they hurried…but would it be enough?

--

"I'm afraid there's not much time left," Ben said softly as he glanced toward the door. "Malkavar might come bursting in here any second!"

"He's right," Jojo said quietly with a dark shudder in his voice. "Malkavar's coming. I can tell through the sound echoes."

Sakura shook her head in wonder at Jojo's abilities. No wonder he was called the Speaker of Sound! "Don't worry Jojo," Sakura said gently, even though she was shaking as she held Jojo's hand. "We'll find a way to get you out – "

Before Sakura could finish her sentence, the door suddenly burst open as Malkavar, followed by Bonewing and Shredclaw, tore into the room.

"Grab them!" Malkavar barked to Bonewing and Shredclaw, who locked their talons tight around Ben and Sakura so they couldn't escape.

"I'm sure you know, however," Malkavar jeered at the siblings, "that I have no further use for your sound abilities, which were worthless anyway." A malevolent smile passed over his face as he turned toward Jojo.

"Jojo" Ben and Sakura gasped in unison. "Run!"

"As for you," Malkavar smirked, gripping Jojo by the neck and lifting him slightly, "You have the very thing I need to take over this place, and I'm afraid your time is just about up!"

Before Jojo could say anything, he was thrown roughly to the ground, feeling a searing pain in his left arm as he landed. Through the jolt, Jojo realized with shock that Malkavar had broken his arm. He only had time to blink as the older Who, laughing maniacally, used a large rod to strike Jojo on the head. Then everything faded to darkness.

"_Jojo." _

Jojo opened his eyes and looked around in confusion, discovering that he was lying down on a cold, rocky surface. "Ow," he muttered to himself, rubbing his throbbing head as he attempted to clear it of dizzyness.

"Where am I?" Jojo asked to no one in particular. He willed himself to stand, which was proving to be someone difficult due to the throbbing in his head and the pain of his broken arm. Soon, however, he was finally able to look around and observe his surroundings.

The rocky surface that Jojo was on seemed to be a road of some kind, composed of a strange type of stone he didn't recognize. The road continued to a series of beige and red buildings, all made of what seemed to be stone and crystals. They reminded Jojo of the houses and temples of ancient civilizations that he had read of in Whostory. "I don't remember this place," he said to himself, running his still-moveable right hand through his jet-black hair. Curious, he looked up at the sky and gasped.

"Wait a minute!" Jojo exclaimed, noticing something oddly familiar about the sky. The sky looked as bright as it would on a normal morning in Whoville or Nool, but there was one particular feature about it: every once in a while, a flash of an aurora-like color would pass through the sky. In that moment, Jojo realized something…he was in that same shifting-void place from a few days before!

And that voice he heard whispering just a minute ago…he remembered that voice.

"Hello, Jojo."

Jojo whirled around to see a familiar winged creature laughing good-naturedly, the light green markings on his face standing out.

"Hey, Naru," Jojo replied, allowing a smile to come on his face as well. It was actually good to see someone who wasn't hostile towards him. However, the smile quickly turned into an expression of confusion and unease. "Am I…am I dead?"

Naru shook his head, his blue-furred ears twitching. "No, you aren't dead. Just knocked out. Malkavar hit you pretty hard."

The Who nodded in agreement. He paused, wondering about the buildings that surrounded him, but there were more important matters to discuss.

"Naru," Jojo began slowly, looking straight into the coubier's emerald-colored eyes, as they were about the same height, "you knew all along, didn't you?"

"You mean that you were the Speaker of Sound, and that Malkavar kidnapped you for that reason?" Naru questioned. When Jojo nodded affirmatively, Naru gave a knowing smile, inclining his head. "Yes, I admit I did know."

"Then why didn't you tell me in the first place?"

"Because I'm your Watcher."

"What's a 'Watcher'?" Jojo looked quizzically at the coubier. He had been hoping for answers, but they just seemed to raise more questions.

Naru took a few pawsteps away from Jojo, then looked up at the morning sky. After a moment, he turned his head toward Jojo and nodded, encouraging him to look up too. "A Watcher," Naru began, "is a creature who is assigned to a certain Who at birth. That creature looks after the one they're assigned to."

"Then why didn't I meet you before all of this?" Jojo inquired.

Naru smiled, continuing. "We don't normally interfere directly in the lives of the Watched. Usually we can only when there's a piece of information we really need to tell them. In fact, there's something that I need to tell you now, Jojo."

"What is it?" Jojo asked in a slightly hurried tone. He could feel the sound patterns in this place become slightly changed, realizing he was beginning to go back into full consciousness.

"There is a way to defeat Malkavar."

"How?" Jojo could feel that he was being slowly pulled away from that world. "I swear I'll do whatever it takes to defeat Malkavar."

Naru gave the Who a wise smile. "Then stay true to your word, and you'll find a way."

"Huh?" Jojo was dumbfounded. How did saying that he'd to whatever it took to defeat Malkavar allow him to find a way? He figured that maybe it just meant to focus on defeating him…but how? "Naru…wait!" Jojo cried out, feeling the tugging sensation even more now. "I don't understand! What do you mean?!"

Naru never got to tell Jojo any more, for at that moment, Jojo was completely thrown back into full consciousness. The throbbing pain in his head and his arm had returned. He realized he was suspended in some sort of tube-like containment chamber, with a multitude of wires attached to it. There were wires attached to him too, and they seemed to connect to the wires outside. However, try as he might, Jojo couldn't escape.

"Well, well, well," Malkavar snickered as he stared at Jojo with a sinister look in his eyes, "you're awake now, aren't you Jojo? Well, you won't be for much longer! In fact," Malkavar looked Jojo directly in the eyes, "you won't even be _alive_ much longer!"

"You can't do this Malkavar!" a voice shouted furiously.

Jojo could move his head just enough to see Ben and Sakura chained up in a corner of the room, their eyes showing their fear for him. It had been Ben who had shouted.

"How long are you going to let him live, anyway?!" Sakura shouted at Malkavar. She gave Jojo a look that clearly said _"We've got to get you out of here!"_

"How long?" Malkavar laughed, looking at Jojo. "About five minutes."

Jojo managed to keep his eyes at a stern glance. However, inside he was feeling more frightened than he had ever felt in his life. He was trapped, Malkavar was planning to do who-knows-what to him, and he was still trying to figure out what Naru meant.

_Dad, Mom, Horton,_ Jojo thought desperately, hoping and praying they could somehow hear him. _Wherever you are, please hurry! _

**--**

**A/N: OH NO! The rescue party is so close to reaching Jojo, but Malkavar's just as close to killing him! Will Horton and the others reach Jojo in time? Will Jojo die? What did Naru mean? Why am I asking you all these questions?! Anyway, read and review, and the next chapter will be up a LOT sooner than it took for this one! Oh, and sadly, there's only about two more chapters to go! (sobs). **


	11. True to Your Word

A/N: Well everyone, sadly, this is the second to last chapter of the fic

**A/N: Well, I was going to put this up a few days later, but then I thought "hey, it's the climax chapter, they've been waiting forever, and I have it typed up, so why not put it up now?" And, everyone, sadly, this is the second to last chapter of the fic. After this chapter, there'll only be one more! However, in this chapter, you'll find the answers to all those questions I asked at the end of the previous one! I'm not going to answer them all entirely in order though, because there's a question that I'll reveal the answer to in this Author's Note: Why was I asking you all those questions? Well, I wanted you guys to try and guess for yourselves! The answers to those other questions are in this chapter though! And AquaMermaid6, you're right: this chapter is epic, which is why it's the longest chapter! Anyway, on with the fic!**

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"Have you gotten to Jojo yet?"

"We're close, Mr. Chairman," Ned said into the Transmoporter's small screen. "We're very close."

"Yeah!" a blue-haired Who named Johnny Smooth shouted enthusiastically, trying to give the Chairman a high-five.

"Not now, Mr. Smooth," the Chairman muttered with an impatient wave of his hand. "There will be time for high-fives when the Mayor and the others get back."

Johnny Smooth let his hand drop. "Aw, man!"

With a hint of a laugh, Ned turned off the screen of the Transmoporter. His eyes then turned serious as he gazed up at the rest of the mountain. He had started shaking; partly from excitement, patly from fear for Jojo's life, and partly because Horton was running so fast.

"I'm sure your son will be fine," Yummo called out, hoping to ease the Mayor's worries in some way. But it was clear that Yummo was bluffing; he was just as unsure as everyone else, and not just the other Wickershams knew that.

As the rescue party ran furiously up the mountain, Ned, Sally, and Horton suddenly heard what seemed like a faint voice speaking in their minds. Was that...was that _Jojo's_ voice? Or was that just their imaginations? Realizing that Jojo was somehow communicating with them telepathically, Ned came to the realization that it _was_ Jojo who had been talking…and he was in grave danger by the sound of it.

_Don't worry, son_ Ned thought, trying as hard as he could to send his thoughts to Jojo, just as Jojo had to him. _We're coming!_

"Ned?" Sally asked uncertainly, "Did you just hear Jojo's voice?"

Ned nodded worriedly, more frantic now, "I heard him! He sounded like he was in danger!"

"So I wasn't imagining his voice!" Horton exclaimed, glancing backwards at the three Whos on his back. He stared a little longer than he had meant to, because he noticed something odd was going on. He quickly moved his head forward again so he could concentrate, but he still was able to question what he had just seen. "Hey, Dr. Larue, what are you doing?"

Ned and Sally glanced at their friend, who was frantically leafing through her black bag. She had a look in her eyes like something was wrong, or something very strange was happening. Or both.

"Dr. Larue, what is it?" Rudy asked with concern, hopping a little behind Horton.

Ned and Sally watched as Dr. Larue's eyes suddenly widened in astonishment, pulling something out of the bag. It was the same black binder that they had seen her carrying around before. However, there was one major change about the binder.

It seemed that whatever was inside it was glowing.

"What the – ?" Yummo asked in utter confusion. Him and the other Wickershams ran faster to try to get a better look.

"Woah, wait a minute," Morton said, scampering onto one of Vulture Vlad's wings so he could see better, "What's with that thing?"

"Yeah," Bunny Vlad agreed, confusion written on his face, "why's it glowing?" The matter was causing so much commotion that Vulture Vlad turned his head to look, Kangaroo hopped faster so she could see it, and Horton even turned backwards again.

"Um…Dr. Larue?" Ned asked, a little hesitantly, "are those pages in your binder _supposed_ to do that?"

"I don't think so, Ned," Sally said to her husband. She began to have doubts that Dr. Larue knew about it when she noticed her friend appeared as astounded as everyone else.

Dr. Larue shook her head, but not in answer to Ned's question. "This binder isn't mine!" she exclaimed, looking from the binder to her friends. "It belongs to Jojo!"

As Dr. Larue uttered that sentence, the binder flew open, releasing what seemed to be a strange, colored light. The light almost seemed to stare at the group, and them flew a little ahead of them up the mountain.

"I think we need to follow it!" Horton exclaimed, resuming his trek up the mountain as everyone else followed. Horton suddenly realized something along with everyone else: they were going faster than they had been going before. It was as if that strange light had helped them to go much faster, sensing that it's owner was in danger. But in truth, it was the reawakened hope in all of their hearts that they would reach Jojo in time.

"Holy clover puffs!" Dr. Larue exclaimed, going over to sit down by her friends (which was hard to do because Horton was running so fast).

"My thoughts exactly," Ned said in awe, staring. "Since when did lights come out of binders? Unless you have one of those booklights and you leave it there by accident..."

"That isn't what I meant!" Dr. Larue said before Ned could go on. "Look!" She pointed to a page in the binder, which appeared blank at first, but they saw that words had appeared:

"_There's not much time left. Jojo's in immediate danger!" _

The three Whos just stared at it, dumbfounded. What was going on?

Ned finally managed to speak. "What…I mean, who…are you?" He watched as words appeared on the binder pages again:

"_I'm that light who's leading you right now. My name is Symphovoice, and I'm picking up the various sound echoes to lead you to Jojo." _

"You can do that?" Sally questioned in wonder. Whatever this thing was, it seemed to know quite a bit about sound. It reminded her a little bit of her son.

"_Of course,"_ Symphovoice's words appeared on the page, despite the fact that he was leading them up the mountain. _"Why do you think Jojo created me?"_

All three Whos suddenly froze, just staring at the words. Time just seemed to slow down for them.

"Jojo…" Dr. Larue whispered in astonished gasps, "he…he...but how...and why – "

"_It's a matter that will be explained later,"_ Symphovoice replied through the binder's words, _"Just focus, and follow me!"_

The group ran at full speed now, aided by Symphovoice's directions and the strong determination in their hearts. Everyone was fully concentrated on one thought: Rescue Jojo!

"There it is!" Horton shouted. Everyone looked, seeing a pair of double doors embedded in the mountain. "That's Malkavar's hideout!"

Since they had finally found the hideout, Symphovoice flew back into the binder, and the glowing stopped.

"Don't worry, Jojo!" Horton shouted. "We're coming!"

Running at full speed, Horton charged through the doors, followed by the others. As they ran, they could see various items that looked like torture devices.

Suddenly, without warning, a series of sharp spikes came flying at them. Panicking, everyone dodged the spikes as best as they could. Surprisingly, when they managed to get to a safe area where the spikes weren't flying, no one had been fatally hurt.

Horton shuddered. "This entire place is a torture chamber of death!"

The group members, more fearful now, but even more determined, ran through a long winding hallway, suddenly stopping as they came into an area with several pathways.

"Which way now?" Ned asked, looking distressed as his eyes moved back and forth from one path to another. However, he didn't need any more indication than a loud cry of pain coming from one of the pathways. And that cry was Jojo's.

"JOJO!" Ned, Sally, and Horton all shouted with a cry. The entire rescue party charged down the path where they heard the cry, and found a long hallway of doors. However, there was an electrified door on one side. That was where Jojo was!

"How are we going to get through if it's electrified?" Morton asked, scampering from one side of the door to the other, trying to find another way in.

Horton looked determined. "We're breaking through it!"

"What?!" Morton gave Horton an astonished look. "Are you crazy?! We'll get fried!"

"Who cares if it shocks us?!" Horton insisted. "This is a life-or-death situation! We've come this far, and we aren't letting Jojo down!" He narrowed his eyes at the door. "Everyone, CHARGE!"

The entire rescue party slammed into the door. The shocks were powerful, but with all of them working together, they finally broke through.

The group gasped as they surveyed the room. Two Whos – Ben and Sakura - were chained up in a corner of the room. There were various machines all over the place, with Whosaron Malkavar standing on a plateau connected to one of them. There seemed to be some sort of energy surrounding him as he pressed buttons on the machine, wires running from the machine to a point on the opposite side of the room.

"Where's Jojo?!" Ned and Sally both cried out in alarm. For wherever they looked, they couldn't see their son anywhere.

Upon hearing their voices, Malkavar turned and smirked at the group, no flash of surprise crossing his face. If anything, his expression was one of amusement. "Well, well, well," he said with an arrogent smirk, "I see you have quite a zoo there. An elephant, a mouse, a vulture, two kangaroos, some monkeys and a rabbit." Malkavar chuckled, not taking his eyes off the group. "I figured you'd come," he said, glaring at Ned and Sally in particular.

"Where is he?!" Sally demanded, anger at Malkavar and worry for her son ringing out loud and clear in her voice. "Where's Jojo?!"

"Oh, you mean your son," Malkavar smiled in amusement. Not a good sign. "Your foolish son." He snapped his fingers, and Bonewing and Shredclaw went over to the other side of the room where the wires were. They removed a dark covering, revealing that the wires connected to a test tube-like containment chamber, and the group gasped when they saw who was inside.

"JOJO!" Ned and Sally's cries were loudest out of all of them. The fact that Jojo was in a containment chamber like that was terrible enough, but it was the state he was in that horrified them so much. Jojo's black hair was disheveled and matted, his frame pale and thin, his eyes closed as if he were sleeping, or worse. As if that weren't enough, he was bleeding in several places on his arms and legs.

It was too much for Ned to take. In outrage, he charged as fast as he could toward Malkavar, who didn't move at all to defend himself. The moment Ned's fist made contact with Malkavar's arm, he automatically drew his fist back, having hit what seemed like a powerful force field.

"Don't you get it?" Malkavar smirked at Ned. "Your son's sound energy is giving me power. This machine makes musical patterns - your son is powerfully gifted to hear them in everything - into physical energy. Once the poor boy is drained of his life, I will have enough power to use this machine to make all of Whoville and Nool bend to my sound control! After all, sound patterns can be used to control the minds of others, if used correctly."

"It will never work!" Horton challenged. "We'll stop you!"

"You?" Malkavar laughed, "why risk your life to help the likes of him? They aren't your kind."

Horton's eyes narrowed. "Because an elephant's faithful 100 percent, and a true elephant would always help friends in need!" He stared at Malkavar defiantly. "A person's a person, no matter what species they are!"

Ned and Sally gave Horton a small smile, running as quickly as they could to where Jojo was being held.

"Brave words," Malkavar said, "but they won't help!" He waved his hand, and Horton and the others were thrown back by a burst of a dark-colored energy. "I have more power than you'll ever have!" His light brown eyes suddenly had a gold glimmer of triumph.

Ned and Sally reached the tube where Jojo was confined in, horrified by how hurt he was. "Jojo," Ned whispered, "Jojo, can you hear me?"

Jojo's brown eyes slowly opened, their gaze moving first to Sally, then to Ned. "You came."

"Of course we came Jojo!" Sally said with relief, "We love you!"

Jojo gave them a weak smile before turning to the others. He could see that the group was being stopped by Malkavar's newfound powers. "You need…" Jojo took a breath, finding it difficult to speak, to his parent's horror, "you need to use sound. Do what we did before."

Ned and Sally looked at each other, confused. Suddenly, Ned's eyes lit up in understanding. "That's it!"

He ran over to Horton and the others. "Everyone! That machine is making sounds turn into physical energy!"

"I think we've realized that already, Ned!" Kangaroo replied, trying to find a way to dodge Malkavar's sound energy, which only seemed to be getting stronger.

"Don't you see?" Ned explained, frantic. "The sound energy we're using - right now - has an effect, but we aren't focusing on it! We need to shout, just like before!"

In that moment, they all understood what Ned was trying to say. In fact, when Ned shouted that, one of Malkavar's sound energies was blocked.

"Come on, everyone!" Horton encouraged, leading everyone into it. "For Jojo!"

As the group shouted out their cries, with some of them shouting "We are here!", their sound energy became visible in colors, just as Malkavar's was. Even Ben and Sakura were using their voices to help.

On the other side of the room, Jojo was listening to their cries, analyzing the rhythmic patterns with what energy he still had. Their sound energy, powerful as it was, wasn't enough. Malkavar was winning, and Jojo could quickly feel his life draining away from him. "There's got to be something I can do!" he said to himself frantically. As he listened to the sounds, he thought back on what Naru had said to him: "stay true to your word, and you'll find a way."

Sally noticed Jojo's eyes suddenly widen. "Jojo?" she said worriedly, fearing that something was happening to him.

"Don't worry, Mom," he said to her, but in his mind he was thinking something else. _Of course! Why didn't I see it before?! My word...Naru didn't just mean to focus on defeating Malkavar! He meant my actual word – Yopp! I created it to mean "Hear my voice! Hear my cry! I am here!", and that's what I need to do!_ He looked around at his family and his friends, seeing how hard they were fighting…for him. _I'm not sure if I'll be able to take it, but it's our only chance._ Jojo could feel his energy draining out of him by the second. He had to do it now, or it would be too late.

Jojo closed his eyes, concentrating as hard as he could. He knew that he couldn't just shout it, like he had when he saved Whoville a year before. This cry needed to come from his heart, from the farthest depths of his soul.

"You think that you can win against me?" Jojo heard Malkavar say, "There's no way you can win!"

_You're wrong, Malkavar,_ Jojo thought. _There's a way._ He concentrated on his center, feeling all of what remained of his life energy being focused into this one shout.

"Jojo?" Sally said with a panicked whisper in her voice. She noticed that Jojo was beginning to go limp, as if he were dying. "Jojo?!"

"Mom," Jojo whispered, turning his eyes weakly toward her, "Tell…tell Dad I love him…" Before Sally could protest, Jojo narrowed his eyes firmly at Malkavar and shouted with all of his being.

"YOPP!"

That shout had so much power that a huge blast of rainbow light emitted from Jojo, shattering the glass and wires around him. It seemed as if he was suspended in midair as the colorful light echoed throughout the room, even shining outside like an aurora of sound. The light was relatively similar to the light in Naru's world the first time he went there.

"What…but how – ?" Malkavar started to say, looking around as his machine was destroyed. He never got to say any more, as a part of the light from Jojo's shout engulfed him, and with a burst of light, he was gone. Forever.

Bonewing and Shredclaw, seeing that Malkavar was gone, looked around and flew off in a panic, having no more reason to stay.

The chains around Ben and Sakura seemed to dissolve away, and everyone stared in amazement at the light, which now grew dimmer and dimmer before disappearing altogether.

Everyone looked at each other and started to cheer, basking in the glory of their triumph. However, the cheers were cut off by a panicked scream.

"NO!"

It had been both Ned and Sally who screamed, and when the others turned, their eyes widened in alarm as they saw why.

Jojo, who had used all his energy in his shout, had fallen suddenly to the ground.

**--**

**A/N: Yay, the group finally defeated Malkavar! But what about Jojo? Is he okay or not? Well, you'll find out in the next chapter…which, as much as I hate to say it, is the last chapter. (sniffles) And in case you guys didn't notice, Johnny Smooth is the spiky-blue-haired Who that kept trying to give people high-fives!**

**IMPORTANT: If you happen to have any questions about the story in general (did I have any ideas I ended up not using, if Jojo survives will there be a sequal and if so what will it be like, etc.) please ask them in a review for this chapter! In the next chapter (the last chapter), I will have an Author's Note at the end that will answer any and all questions that you ask me.**

**Read and review!**


	12. Song From the Silence

A/N: (takes deep breath) Well, here we are, the last chapter

**A/N: (takes deep breath) Well, here we are, the last chapter! (tears up) I know what you guys are all wondering about: is Jojo going to be okay? Well, obviously you're going to find out in this chapter! And there's one thing that makes this chapter (besides the A/N at the end) unique. Quite a few of the chapters had a song in them…but this one has TWO! The first one is called "There is Life" from the movie Bambi 2, and the second one is "We Go On" from the "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth" show at Disney World's Epcot. I suggest playing them as those parts come! It will make it more meaningful that way! Anyway, on with the last chapter of the fic! **

**--**

"JOJO!" everyone cried out instantly, running toward the place where he had fallen. They all had looks of worry written all over their faces, clinging to the hope that their Who friend was alright.

Vulture Vlad slowly flew over, landing right next to Jojo and looking down at him. "Hey, you beat those…" he trailed off when he saw the state that the Who was in.

"He looks like he got hurt pretty badly," Bunny Vlad whispered with concern. Morton only nodded in agreement.

Kangarro, Rudy, Ben, Sakura, and the Wikershams didn't say a word. It seemed as if there was a fragile balance that was tipping over, and everyone was too worried that it might collapse.

"Jojo?" Horton choked out, realizing just now how hurt his young friend was. "You did it, you beat Malkavar!" His eyes widened slightly in fear when Jojo didn't respond. "Jojo?" Horton gently nudged Jojo with his trunk, hoping, praying, for some response. Nothing.

"Is…" Dr. Larue was finding it difficult to speak, as she was beginning to tear up, "is his heart still beating?"

Everyone turned to Ned and Sally, the same expressions on their faces. They all shared the same fear that Dr. Larue did, but none of them dared to directly say it. Jojo had to be okay. He had to be.

Ned and Sally looked at their friends, then their son. Shaking with fear, Ned gently placed his hand over Jojo's heart. Even through Jojo's black-and-grey shirt, Ned could clearly tell that there was nothing. No heartbeat, no pulse.

Ned only could stare down at his son, numb with horror. Tears fell from his eyes, slowly at first, then faster. He turned only slightly to his friends and Sally as he shook his head. "No," he whispered in a strangled, choked cry.

Sally gasped, gripping her husband tightly as her tears fell like waterfalls. "No…Jojo…" she didn't have the emotional strength to say any more, as her and Ned both broke into heartbroken sobs. Their son, who had given up his life to save them all, was gone.

"Jojo," Horton whispered. Tears were coming to his eyes too, and he couldn't take it anymore as he collapsed to the ground. "JOJO!"

Everyone was crying now. Some, like Yummo, were trying to hold in their tears, but it didn't last long. No one was able to hold back the grief they felt over Jojo's death.

Ned and Sally gently lifted their son's lifeless form off the ground, holding him in their arms. "Oh, Jojo," Ned whispered hoarsely, stroking his son's black hair. "If only we had been faster! Then we might've…we might…" he trailed off, burying his face into his sons fur, shaking with sobs.

"Ned…" Sally was struggling to talk through her sobs, "he told me tell you…he loves you."

"I love you too, son," Ned whispered dejectedly, hoping that – somehow – Jojo was able to hear him.

Rudy hopped over and rested one hand on Ned's shoulder, and the other on Sally's. Horton rested his trunk on their shoulders as well. The Noolans were not only trying to comfort their Who friends, but each other as well.

Ben, Sakura, and Dr. Larue, followed by the other Noolans, all came over, staring helplessly at Jojo's form. They all wished there was someway they could comfort each other, but – more than anything – they all wished that Jojo were still alive.

"You…" Sakura struggled for words as she cried, "you were very brave Jojo."

"Indeed he was."

The sudden, unfamiliar voice startled the group, as everyone – painful as it was – turned their gaze from Jojo to the direction where the voice had come from. They saw a creature with the body of a cougar, large wings, and a head like a wolf. The creature was a light blue color, with green markings on his face that made his head appear light green.

"Who are you?!" Horton asked defensively, standing up and staring at the creature.

"I am Naru," the creature replied with a slight bow of his head.

Ned stared at the creature with a firm gaze, protectively holding Jojo's body. "If you've come here to…" his firm tone trailed off, replaced by a voice of anguish. "If you've come here to harm Jojo…Malkavar already did that enough!" Ned started sobbing all over again.

The creature raised a paw in a 'stop' gesture. "I mean no harm to your son. On the contrary, I have come to say that I'm sorry about his death."

"Who are you to say so?" Yummo challenged, poised for attack if this strange creature would dare come toward them aggressively.

Naru never got the chance to answer the Wickersham leader's question, for he and everyone else noticed something. The sound-light from Jojo's cry of "YOPP" had returned.

Dr. Larue's eyes widened. "I thought it faded away."

Naru shook his head. "It didn't leave. It just chased Bonewing and Shredclaw to the far reaches of Nool. They won't be coming back here anytime soon.

Sally was about to ask exactly why her son's sound-light was still there, when the others seemed to have faded, but she didn't get to. At that moment, they all heard a strange voice that almost seemed to come from around the sound energy.

_Under the snow,_

_Beneath the frozen streams,_

_There is life…_

_You have to know,_

_When nature sleeps she dreams,_

_There is life.._

_And the colder the winter, the warmer the spring._

_The deeper the sorrow, the more our hearts sing._

_Even when you can't see it, inside everything,_

_There is life…_

As these words were sung, images appeared to form in the sound-light. They were images of winter becoming spring; life coming back into the world. And one particular phrase of it stuck out to Ned and Sally: The deeper the sorrow, the more our hearts sing. Well, they definitely were sorrowing due to Jojo's death…did that have a connection?

The images in the sound energy then faded away as the energy began to swirl around Jojo, lifting him up into the air. As the voice continued to sing, the Noolans and Whos noticed that there was a bright golden light that seemed to come from Jojo's heart.

And there was something else that was occurring as the sound-light swirled around Jojo – his wounds were healing.

_After the rain,_

_The sun will reappear,_

_There is life…_

_After the pain,_

_The joy will still be here,_

_There is life…_

As the energy continued to swirl around Jojo, seeming to spiral into the light coming from his heart, everyone in the group gasped in astonishment. They couldn't believe it at first, but it was real: Jojo's eyes had opened.

_For it's out of the darkness that we learn to see,_

_And out of the silence that songs come to be,_

_And all that we dream of awaits patiently,_

_There is life…_

_(There is)_

_There is life.._

As the song ended, the sound energy swirled into Jojo's heart as the glowing light faded. Just as the light emitting from Jojo's heart disappeared, he was slowly lowered onto the ground. He was breathing heavily, as if he had just been running a race, but aside from that, Jojo was perfectly fine.

"JOJO!" The cry that was sounded from the Whos, Noolans, and Naru was a cry of pure ecstasy. They had all feared that Jojo was gone forever. Now, by some miracle of sound, he was alive, all traces of injuries completely gone.

Ned and Sally gripped their son in a tight bear hug. "Oh Jojo!" Sally exclaimed as she gazed at her son with a mixture of amazement, delight, and relief. Ned cried out in delight, ruffling Jojo's hair. "YOU'RE ALIVE! YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"Dad…" Jojo gasped, for Ned had tightened his grip, "I can't breathe…" He sighed good-naturedly when he realized his dad couldn't hear him over his happy cries. "Dad, you're hugging me to death! Let go!"

"Oh, sorry, Jojo!" Ned apologized, gently setting Jojo onto the ground, only to nearly be trampled by everyone else running over to Jojo.

"You did it, Jojo!" Horton exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. "You beat Malkavar!"

"Man, that was…just, wow!" Morton said, zipping up to the young Who. "I give that a 100 percent for the most awesome thing I've ever seen!"

"I second that!" Bunny Vlad added.

Jojo was practically mobbed by everyone running up to him, expressing their joy that he was alive.

"Hey, wait a minute," Horton spoke up, turning toward Naru. "Who's he? Do you know him, Jojo?"

Jojo nodded. "Yeah. That's Naru. He's my Watcher."

Dr. Larue looked from Jojo to Naru. "I had thought Watchers were just a myth!"

Naru smiled. "We're just very elusive, that's all." He noticed the confused looks of the others. "A Watcher is a creature that is assigned to a particular Who at birth."

"So Noolans don't have Watchers?" Rudy asked curiously.

"You do," Naru answered, "they just are from a different place. We do meet each other, just not very often."

"Um, Naru," Ben spoke up, "there's something that I'm wondering."

The coubier nodded, encouraging his question.

"Why…I mean, how…I mean…" Ben cleared his throat before speaking again. "Why did Jojo's sound energy stick around when all the others left? And how did it bring him back to life?"

From the looks on the faces of the others, including Jojo, everyone else had been wondering the same thing.

"This is just a theory," Naru said, "but it seems that Jojo focused what remaining energy he had at the time – every bit of his life force, in fact – on that one shout. The shout was basically what was left of his life, and that was why he died."

"Then how did he come back?" Dr. Larue asked.

"Since what remained of Jojo's life force was in that cry," Naru went on, "That sound energy that was released was, believe it or not, his life's energy; his soul, in a way. Because of that, it was able to keep a solid form, instead of fading away like the others. When Malkavar's machine was destroyed, all of Jojo's life force that Malkavar had gained power from was released. From there, with the entirety of his sound imprint intact, it was able to flow back into his body and bring him to life again, fully healed." A faint smile crossed Naru's face as he glanced at Jojo. "In a sense, sound is, quite literally, a part of Jojo's life, of his soul…of his heart."

Everyone's eyes widened in amazement. If Naru's theory was true, then Jojo had literally given up his life to save them. No wonder Jojo had such a strong attachment to sound!

"Then, that song," Jojo spoke up, "the part about 'the voice that sings inside you'…did that mean-"

"As a matter of fact, Jojo, I had absolutely no knowledge that such an event was going to occur. I thought that you were dead just as much as everyone else did." Naru padded over to Jojo and placed a paw on his shoulder. "What I was referring to in that song was the fact that you are the Speaker of Sound, and your ability to recognize sound patterns was 'the voice that sings inside you'. But after an event like that," he shook his head in wonder, "perhaps it could've meant that too."

The others started to ask what Naru meant by Jojo being the Speaker of Sound, but Ben and Sakura quickly explained it to them.

"There's still one thing I'm wondering, but this question's for Jojo." Dr. Larue turned to the adolescent Who curiously. "That thing…from your binder…"

"What…oh, you mean Symphovoice?" Jojo inquired. He saw Dr. Larue nod, and smiled. "Well, I created him as a result of experiments with sound waves and gravitational forces-"

"Don't get all technical, son," Ned warned jokingly, "or we'll never be able to understand what you're saying!"

Jojo laughed. "I created Symphovoice to analyze patterns in the sound echoes. There was a theory I was working on: that the sounds that are made never really fade away, but go across the lengths of space and time."

"I never thought about it that way," Dr. Larue said with a pondering look on her face, "but why did you want this binder to be kept safe in the first place?"

"Well, first of all," Jojo paused, "what happened right before Symphovoice came out of the binder?"

"We were running up the mountain, trying to get to you," Dr. Larue answered. "Suddenly the binder started glowing, and Horton asked why my binder was glowing."

"You guys were near a high concentration of sound energy, because Malkavar was turning mine into a type of physical energy," Jojo replied.

Dr. Larue continued. "I then told him it belongs to you, and then Symphovoice came out of the binder."

"That's the answer," Jojo explained, "I hadn't really been able to 'activate' Symphovoice yet, so I knew that binder had to be kept safe. If I had had it with me, and Malkavar got a hold of it and said it belonged to him, then Symphovoice would have been activated. My notes about Symphovoice, and my theory, are also in that binder. Malkavar could have used it to use sound waves to mind-control others and distort reality."

"Wow!" Horton exclaimed. "That's really…confusing!"

"Confusing," Ned agreed, "but amazing! We should all just have a big party!" Suddenly, Ned stopped. "Oh my gosh, the party!"

"What party?" Rudy asked.

"Jojo's birthday party!" Sally exclaimed. "We need to go back to Whoville anyway."

Ned's eyes lit up. "Oh, and we need to tell everyone what happened!" As he pressed the button to activate the screen on the Transmoporter, Symphovioce flew back into the binder, and Naru, giving Jojo a wink, disappeared.

"We did it!" Ned announced excitedly to the Whos in the observatory, "We found Jojo, and Malkavar is beaten!"

A cheer arose from every Who that was in the observatory, including the Chairman, some of the McDodd daughters, and Johnny Smooth, who shouted "Yeah!" and gave the Chairman an excited high-five.

"You are coming back to Whoville, I presume?" the Chairman eyed Ned questionably.

"We're going back right now!" Ned exclaimed, "we'll meet you there!" He turned off the screen of the Transmoporter and stepped back. "You want to do the honors, son?" He turned toward Jojo with a joyful smile on his face.

"Sure, Dad!" Jojo went over to the Transmoporter and adjusted the teleportation circle to fit everyone. With the pressing of the button, the tube extended from the Transmoprter and hovered over the group. The light extended around all of them, and they found themselves back in the observatory.

Everyone instantly crowded around the group, shouting out they joy over Malkavar's defeat and Jojo's safe return.

The Chairman's eyes widened. "You…you brought back the Larue siblings?"

Jojo nodded. "The three of us were being held captive by Malkavar."

"And here you all are, safe and sound again," the Chairman smiled. "We saw this weird colored light in the sky a short while ago," he said to the Mayor, "was that from something that happened there?"

"It was Jojo's sound energy that did it," Ned explained. "He's a hero!"

"Dad," Jojo said modestly, "I'm no hero."

"Are you kidding?!" Ned started waving his arms excitedly. "Jojo McDodd, you brought back two Whos that were kidnapped 20 years ago, you defeated the most dangerous Who we've ever known!"

The Chairman put a hand on Jojo's shoulder. "Your father is right, Jojo. And if _I'm_ right," he looked around at the Whos and Noolans before turning to Jojo again, "we've got a birthday celebration to prepare for!"

--

It was May 16th, 11:58pm. Being Whoville Day, there had been celebrations going on for the duration of the day. Normally, the festivities would've ended at 9:00, but all of Whoville was waiting for it to turn May 17th. This included Horton and the other Noolans, who Jojo had invited to come. Just a few more minutes…

"I can't wait!" Horton exclaimed, practically hopping in anticipation, "this is going to be awesome! I mean, today's been awesome, but-"

"I get what you mean, Horton!" Ned said with a grin as he gave his friend a light punch. He looked anxiously at the clock. "10 more seconds!"

Everyone began counting down the seconds as if it were New Year's. When they finally reached zero, everyone shouted in unison. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOJO!"

Fireworks went off at that moment, and Jojo personally felt a little overwhelmed by all the attention he was getting and the presents that the others were giving him.

The Noolans, who were all able to come, had pitched in together to make a detailed map of the Jungle of Nool.

"See, I circled Mt. Nool, where we are right now," Horton explained, "then we walked around the jungle and marked the places where we usually hang out, where our Club Nool meetings are-"

"You're in the club by the way, Jojo!" Rudy piped up, handing him a wooden card inscribed with his name and the words "Honorary Member of Club Nool".

"Rudy came up with the card idea," Horton explained, smiling as he noticed Jojo admiring the card and the map. "Oh, and we also marked some particular places that," he leaned closer to Jojo and lowered his voice, "you might want to stay away from!" He nodded towards where Grim Mountain was marked on the map with a black X-shaped mark.

Jojo nodded in understanding, a grin crossing his face. "Thanks, you guys!" Jojo shared a group hug with his Noolan friends.

Jojo didn't even bother to directly comment on the presents he got from his 96 sisters – they all gave them to him at once, for the most part. However, he did notice that at least 10 of his sisters had gotten him either WhoPods or WhoPhones, and were now arguing among themselves over who got Jojo the best one.

The Larue siblings gave Jojo a book entitled _The Science of Sounds_.

"You don't already have that one, do you Jojo?" Sakura asked with concern. "We were all debating on whether you already have the book or not-"

"Actually," Jojo interrupted with a laugh, "I've been trying to get a hold of this book for weeks!"

Sally gave her son a few wrapped packages. Upon opening them, Jojo discovered that they were music CD's of famous musicians and composers, with a book to go along with it.

"It's for your research," Sally whispered, giving her son a small kiss on the cheek.

"Jojo?"

Jojo turned around to see his dad smiling at him, a smile of excitement and eagerness. In that moment, Jojo remembered what his dad had told him on April Fool's Day. "So, can I finally find out what my birthday surprise is?"

Ned smiled proudly down at his son. "Of course, Jojo!" He gestured over to a stage that had been placed in Whoville Square. "Look over there."

Jojo noticed that everyone had gone quiet as he went over to the stage. A Who known as Kellie Whoffey, who sang at the fireworks show in WhoCOT, was standing on the stage. When everyone quieted down, a short instrumental played before she started to sing.

_With the stillness of the night,_

_There comes a time to understand._

_To reach out, and touch tomorrow,_

_Take the future in our hand._

_We can see a new horizon,_

_Built on all that we have done._

_And our dreams begin another,_

_Thousand circles 'round the sun. _

At that point, everyone joined in on the chorus.

_We go on,_

_To the joy and through the tears._

_We go on,_

_To discover new frontiers,_

_Moving on,_

_With the current of the years._

_We go on,_

_Moving forward now, as one._

_Moving on,_

_With a spirit born to run._

_Ever on,_

_With each rising sun,_

_To a new day,_

_We go on. _

_We go on._

As everyone finished the song in unison, Jojo had a sudden realization. His dad had picked the song, months ago, to celebrate Jojo's coming of age. But, in a way, it also applied to what had occurred in the past week. It spoke of going "to the joy and through the tears," expressing the sorrow they had felt when he nearly had died, and their joy when he had returned to life. It also spoke of discovering new frontiers, which is precisely what had happened: the Whos went to Nool, and they all had went to Grim Mountain. The "current of the years" could be expressed as Jojo's coming of age, and learning of Whoville's past to aid the future.

And one other line stuck out to Jojo: "moving forward now as one." He looked around him, and saw that one line was true: the large and the small, young and old, Noolans and Whos – all of them were together now, singing and sharing this time together in unison.

"Happy Birthday, Jojo," Ned whispered fondly to his son, and Jojo smiled.

--

A few hours later, Whoville's loud, celebratory atmosphere had quieted down. The Noolans all had returned to Nool, and the Whos had, for the most part, gone to sleep. It was 3:00 in the morning, after all.

But there was one person in particular who was still wide awake.

Jojo sat on top of the hill where the observatory was, sighing as he gazed up at the stars. He couldn't believe it. He had brought down the rule of the most dangerous Who that the Whos had ever seen, and he was 18 now; a legal adult. He took out a small picture from his pocket - a picture of all his Noolan and Who friends. "When you get right down to it," Horton had said, "we're all family."

"Still awake, Jojo?"

Jojo jumped a little in surprise, only to turn and find that Naru was sitting next to him.

"Yeah," Jojo replied, gazing up at the stars again. "I'm just not tired."

The coubier nodded. "Actually, I have a little birthday present for you." He opened his paw and handed Jojo a small beige-colored wooden flute.

The Who took the flute in his hands, observing it, studying it. The instrument had carvings of creatures that he had never seen before.

"Go on," Naru said gently, "blow into it."

Jojo did so, and not just sound came out of the flute. A small wisp of colored light, shifting to the rhythm of the note, hovered in the air, seeming to have a life all its own, before flying through the air and fading from sight.

"Thank you, Naru," Jojo said in awe, amazed at the gift. He noticed that Naru had lifted up into the air, his bright blue wings flapping. "Will…will I ever see you again?"

A wise smile crossed Naru's face. "I have no doubt that you will, Jojo." A shining, multicolored light appeared around him. "We will meet again…you just need to keep your eyes – and ears – open."

Naru flew off into the night, leaving an aurora-like trail in his wake before seemingly vanishing into it. It was as if he had transported himself into another world, while the aurora remained.

And as Jojo fixed his gaze on the pattern of colors, and listened to the rhythm of the world's melodious song, he was sure of one thing.

Wherever he went, sound would always follow.

**--**

**A/N: (takes a deep breath) Well, there you have it! Jojo's alive, everything is alright, and this fanfic, though I don't want to say it, is over. (plays 'Promise' song from Epcot (the one that plays right after the IllumiNations show) because it fits so well, and is a good ending song) This has been my most popular (and longest) story ever, and I really had fun writing it! And thanks to everyone Who (I had to throw that in!) reviewed! You helped keep the story going! And in cas you haven't guessed from the end of the chapter, there WILL be a sequal!**

**So, for the final time in this fic: Read and Review!**

**Take care, everyone! And remember…you can find rhythm in everything if you just learn to listen!**


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